Earth-717: Fantastic Four Volume 2
by Over9000Pylons
Summary: An alternate time. An alternate world. Despite having formed a new family, Reed Richards' dream of traversing the stars lives on. Having completed a new version of his spacecraft, Reed resolves to take the Fantastic Four to explore the galaxy. However, their interstellar adventure soon has grave consequences, leading the team into the heart of a massive galactic conflict.
1. The Adventure Begins

Earth-717: Fantastic Four Vol 2

Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins

Scratching the back of his head for a moment, Reed then picked up his welding tool. Stretching around to the far side of his equipment table, he placed the last piece of exterior metal into its socket before using the tool to fuse it to the rest of the device. Once it was finished, he put the welding tool down and pulled off his safety goggles.

On the equipment table was a newly finished warp core, which was a special device required to achieve faster than light travel. It was a translucent blue sphere, with much of the internal wiring and circuitry partially visible through the exterior shell. It was a scientific achievement that would change human history, because Reed had finally made space travel a feasible goal.

Reaching out with both hands, he picked up the warp core and stretched over to one of his side counters, where he had a handful of carbonadium storage containers to protect his most precious inventions. Opening one of the empty containers, he placed the warp core inside. Sealing the top of the container, he then typed in a digital label on his wrist device, which then appeared as a hologram that flickered on in front of the container.

-WARP CORE 2-

The container to the left was holding the first warp core that he had constructed, which was to be used for his own personal ship. The newly finished warp core had been commissioned by the Air Force's Special Projects Division, as part of a joint effort with SHIELD to create a starfighter with similar capabilities to his own exploration vessel.

Retracting his body so that he was back to his normal shape, he then walked past a group of small, orb-shaped robots that were using small appendages to fix a hole in the wall of the lab that was created by a recent battle between the Fantastic Four and the Gamma Corps. They were a group of female commandos who were trying to capture Bruce Banner, who had sought refuge and a possible cure at the Baxter Building.

The entire fiasco had caused a great deal of damage to the building, but luckily it did not create any major setbacks for Reed's work. A day later, he had received a phone call from Nick Fury, who explained the entire situation: how SHIELD was not responsible for the actions of the Gamma Corps, and how Bruce Banner and Betty Ross had been granted asylum by the organization.

The small robots that were fixing the wall were Herbie's Repair-Bots, a team of automated drones that Herbie directly controlled, mostly used for construction and repair jobs, as well as assisting Reed with small tasks. Herbie's main body was floating next to a table that had a simulated map of the galaxy on it, with various hard-light hologram images of planets and stars.

"Data collection complete, Doctor Richards!"

Reed sidled up to Herbie, who handed him a datapad. He quickly scanned his eyes over the information before looking up at the hologram image of a planet in another part of the galaxy.

"A planet similar to Earth in many ways," said Herbie. "So exciting! An excellent choice for our first interstellar excursion, Doctor Richards!"

Reed let a smile slowly form on his face as he considered Herbie's words.

First interstellar excursion.

He thought back to everything that had led up to this moment. For an entire decade, he had worked on a compact spacecraft that would be capable of interstellar travel. He had to revolutionize contemporary knowledge of physics and engineering in order to do so. Then, one year ago, he finally took a team of four into space, and their lives were changed forever.

But now, with the warp core completed, he was ready to make the journey he had been dreaming of for most of his life. It had all been leading up to this moment.

In two week's time, when the newest version of his ship was complete, he was going to take his family back into space. They were going to travel to that planet as the interstellar explorers they were always meant to be. As Reed thought about what incredible adventure could be waiting for them, he tried to imagine what that planet could really be like, and what he might name it when he got there.

What Reed did not know was that planet already had a name.

Rigellia.

* * *

A large, three hundred metre long golden starship hovered in orbit around Rigellia, flanked by several frigates and fighter squadron patrols. The ship was the _Victory_ , a heavy cruiser belonging to the Nova Corps, an interstellar police force that maintained the security of all planets and systems under the control of the Galactic Senate. It was the core ship in a Nova defensive fleet, which was stationed around Rigellia at all times because of its importance as a Senate homeworld.

On the _Victory_ 's bridge, a man with pink skin sat on the central chair. This was Centurion Torthar, a Krylorian member of the Nova Corps. The rest of the bridge was filled with crew members of various races, like all Nova vessels. There were Xandarians, Krylorians, Rigellians and Shi'ar, representing the four races of the Galactic Senate.

Xandarians and Krylorians were humanoids that were extremely similar aside from skin tone; Xandarians had a variety of skin pigmentations from white, to brown, to black, while Krylorians were exclusively pink. The Rigellians were tall, thin and had yellow-green skin, while the Shi'ar were fair-skinned beings with avian physiological features.

One of the Xandarian crew members was sitting at his station, looking at a video screen that showed a Krylorian woman holding a young Krylorian girl, just over a year old. The man smiled and waved at the young girl, who giggled in return.

"Hey, pretty girl," he said. "How you doing?"

The girl squealed and held out her arms at the camera. The woman bounced her up and down.

"She wants her daddy to come home," said the woman.

The man sighed and rolled his shoulders. The woman shook her head.

"Rhomann . . . ."

"Soon, Camaria, soon, I promise."

"You said that last month. They don't have anyone else to defend Rigellia?"

"I know. I know . . . ."

Rhomann looked over his shoulder for a moment before turning back to the video screen.

"We've just been getting a lot of bad reports out here," he said. "There's a lot of instability on the borders. I can't tell you all the details, but they need me out here. I'm doing my job . . . . keeping you safe."

Camaria frowned and looked down.

"And keeping us safe is your job," she said, in a tone that indicated it was a recitation. "We know."

"I wish I could do more."

Camaria smiled.

"You already do."

Camaria then bounced her daughter one last time as she looked at her.

"I have some errands to run, so we gotta get going," she said. "Say goodbye to daddy, Duranna!"

Duranna giggled again, holding her arms up in the air. Rhomann chuckled under his breath and waved at his daughter before Camaria ended the video call. As his display screen reverted to its default state, Rhomann sighed and opened up his data monitoring application. He yawned and leaned his head against his right hand as he clicked through the data streams.

After a couple minutes, he then saw something that caused him to blink and look over it again. He then stood up and turned to the command chair.

"Centurion Torthar, sir!"

Torthar turned to look at him.

"What is it, Denarian Dey?"

"Sir, I just saw a dark energy spike on the long range scanners that doesn't make sense. It's way too . . . ."

Rhomann was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a dark energy field in visual range of the bridge. Everyone turned to look at it, and within a second, a gargantuan war machine materialized before them. Its design was unlike that of any ship they had ever seen, and was eight hundred metres in length. The main section, which was curved upright, split open to reveal a huge central laser cannon.

". . . . big," said Rhomann.

"Contact!" yelled one of the bridge personnel.

"What is that?" asked another.

The ship also had four unfurling appendages that looked like legs, but they were curled up under the ship's main section. After a few seconds, the legs emerged from beneath the ship, giving it an insectoid appearance. It hovered in place, with the central laser cannon pointed directly at the _Victory_.

Rhomann then saw an indicator light flash on his console.

"We're being hailed."

"Put it through," said Torthar.

Rhomann tapped a button on his console, and a large holographic video display appeared over the bridge window. On the other end was a Skrull sitting on a command chair. Unlike with other Skrulls, this one had a metallic plate that covered the bottom and right parts of his face, creating a right angle triangle that cut his face diagonally in half.

Metallic parts were extended over his neck, with a serrated tube that pumped oxygen directly into his throat. The plate also covered his right eye, which had been replaced with an ocular lens. A series of clicking noises were heard, and he lifted up his right hand to reveal that it was a completely metallic limb, complete with a six-fingered hand. The clicking noise was made by him rhythmically tapping the pointed tips of his fingers against his metal palm.

The Skrull did not have a mouth, given that the metal plate covered where it would have been. Still, he spoke, with a set of lights on his throat flashing cyan as he did, his highly-synthesized voice created by a modulator in his esophagus.

"Centurion Torthar."

Rhomann felt a drip of sweat fall down his right temple. Several of the crew members on the bridge cringed as they looked at the Skrull, clearly disgusted by his cybernetic appearance. For his part, Torthar did not give an indication of being alarmed in any way.

"That is my name," said Torthar. "To whom am I speaking?"

The Skrull clicked all of his fingers against his palm again as he glared at Torthar with his one biological eye.

"I'm insulted, Centurion. I know it has been some time since last we met in combat, but I was hoping that you would at the very least remember me. Or do you not recall when you destroyed my ship during your campaign against the planet Klarr?"

Torthar sat back in his chair as the realization hit him.

"Commander Morrat?"

"That's General Morrat to you, Centurion."

"Your ship was blown to pieces by my fleet. You survived?!"

"Barely, as you can see. I was rescued by a Mekkan cruiser mere moments before my escape pod ran out of life support."

Morrat looked down at his robotic hand for a moment, turning it over multiple times so as to fully inspect it.

"It took some time, but via the incorporation of Mekkan cybernetics, I was . . . . repaired. I must say, I was most impressed with your strategic skill on the battlefield, Centurion. You were quite the worthy foe, and I hoped to meet you yet again in battle. Unfortunately for you, this time your ship is the one that will fall."

"That remains to be seen," replied Torthar. "I'm surprised, Morrat. You were reckless before, but attacking a Senate homeworld? I wonder what Veranke has to say about this."

Morrat cackled, his synthetic laugh disturbing Rhomann to his core.

"She ordered it."

Torthar pressed his lips together as Morrat clicked his fingers again.

"Now that our new vessels, the Pariahs, are complete, our forces are finally ready to deliver this galaxy to destiny's Queen. Rigellia will be the first. This world, as with all worlds, will belong to the Skrull Empire. I would ask you if you wish to surrender. After all, it is the courteous action to take . . . . but I would much rather just crush you myself."

Rhomann gulped as he saw the Pariah's laser cannon starting to glow brighter.

"Safe travels, Torthar," said Morrat.

The video screen dissipated, and, seeing the energy forming inside the laser cannon, Torthar immediately turned to one of the technicians on his right.

"FULL SHIELDS!"

A golden energy barrier formed around the _Victory_ as the Pariah fired a massive beam. The beam seared its way across the barrier, and the entire ship was jostled by the attack. A surge wave of electric energy then rippled across the outer hull as the barrier powered down. Several of the crew members looked around in dismay as the barrier faded.

"What happened?!"

"Barrier is down, sir! That laser, it just . . . . just shredded it!"

"All cannons, open fire! Deploy all fighter squadrons and support frigates into battle positions, and someone get a message to Nova Command!"

Rhomann rushed back to his station, opening up his communication panel. He activated the emergency channel and began feverishly typing a message that would be sent directly to the Nova Corps' Headquarters on Xandar. A Rigellian officer who was sitting next to him turned around to look at Torthar.

"Frigates and fighter squadrons in position to engage, Centurion."

The _Victory_ 's cannons, which were placed all over the ship's hull, started firing orange energy blasts at the Pariah. Six support ships and over fifty fighters all flew past the _Victory_ , preparing to attack. Each support ship was equipped with a polarized ion cannon, firing a sustained white beam with ripples of purple energy.

All six beams struck the front end of the Pariah, burning sections of the front hull. The armour plating, which was supported by an interlocking grid of kinetic barriers, was far too strong for the beams to actually penetrate. The fighters then moved in, ready to engage the ship at point blank range.

"Moving in for attack run," said one of the Nova pilots.

"Size of this thing, we might as well be bombing a goddamn moon!" said another.

The fighters closed in and started launching missiles and bombs along the main section, with some trying to land direct hits to the central cannon. Inside the command centre, Morrat looked up as he heard the explosions from the fighter attacks. He then turned to look at a Mekkan officer who was standing in front of a control console.

"General," said the Mekkan. "Hull and interweaving kinetic barriers are holding steady against the Nova attacks. Our defensive measures are performing admirably."

Morrat clicked his metal fingers a couple times before responding.

"Of course they are. Now, let's see how admirably Centurion Torthar performs."

The Pariah finally broke out of its hovering state and flew towards the _Victory_. Firing its laser again, it swiped horizontally along the defensive line, destroying three of the frigates. Opening its legs wider, the Pariah tilted itself backwards, giving its cannon more room to aim a precision shot. Despite being fired at by dozens of lasers from the _Victory_ ,nothing seemed capable of stopping it.

The Pariah then fired its laser again, sweeping downward across the _Victory_ before disintegrating two more of the frigates.

"Evacuate the ship!" yelled Torthar. "All of you! Now!"

Multiple explosions rocked the _Victory_ 's interior from the damage caused by the laser. Rhomann scrambled out of his chair and ran off the bridge alongside the rest of the crew. As they rushed for the escape pods, another explosion broke apart pieces of the ceiling, which caved in. A support beam fell downwards, crushing the Rigellian crew member who had been sitting next to Rhomann and splattering his blood all over the floor.

Rhomann watched as many of the crew members from the bridge deck strapped themselves into escape pods and launched outwards, intending to head for the planet's surface. Stopping himself, he then took in a deep breath before turning around and running back to the bridge. Torthar was there by himself, watching as the Pariah's legs clamped down on the _Victory_ 's hull as it prepared to strike the killing blow.

"Centurion!"

Torthar looked over his shoulder at Rhomann.

"I ordered you to evacuate, Denarian!"

"Let's go, sir! There's no sense just waiting here to be slaughtered! Come on!"

Torthar closed his eyes and exhaled as he turned his face downward. Reluctantly nodding, Torthar stood up and followed Rhomann into the hallway. Running past the downed support beam, the two made it to the last escape pod. Rhomann stepped in first, but just as Torthar was about to join him, another explosion sent him toppling backwards, landing on his back on the other end of the hallway.

"Torthar!"

Coughing and looking to the side, Torthar saw the Pariah's laser charging. Frowning and shaking his head, he then looked up at Rhomann.

"Consider yourself promoted, Rhomann."

The colour flushed from Rhomann's face as Torthar jammed the side of his fist against the eject button on the wall next to him. Rhomann's pod shut and was launched from the _Victory_ at the same moment the Pariah fired, blasting the entire vessel apart. Rhomann could only watch and shout in horror as his pod plummeted to the planet below.


	2. Date Night

Earth-717: Fantastic Four Vol 2

Chapter 2: Date Night

"So what's this joint got that yours don't, huh? Some jerk playin' the sax?"

Alicia giggled as she and Ben walked down the streets of Hell's Kitchen together. Since Ben was far too large to fit in any normal vehicle and Alicia preferred physical exercise regardless, the two of them had made a habit of walking to their destinations whenever possible. The natural light of the sun had since disappeared and given way to the iconic lights of the Manhattan skyline.

Looking down at Alicia's feet, Ben found himself once again impressed with her ability to always know exactly where she was at any given time. She told him very early on in their relationship that she had essentially memorized New York's layout, and so even if she was alone at any given time, she could always find her way to any specific destination in the city.

Still, while Alicia was extremely capable when it came to path-finding, Ben still knew that she did not see the reactions of the other people on the street. As they made their way down the sidewalk, all of the other pedestrians made sure to move out of their way so as to provide a clear path. Alicia always kept on her best smile, and Ben was thankful that she didn't actually have to see some of the facial reactions that the two of them received.

Taking a few more steps, Alicia then stopped in her tracks and turned to the nearby building. Ben looked up, and saw the words "Scene Contempo Gallery" above the doorway. He then looked below the sign and sighed with relief upon seeing that the building had a set of double doors. Several people in high class clothing were entering the building and milling about in the lobby.

Ben looked down at his bare chest and Future Foundation pants and rubbed the back of his head. Alicia, staring at the building, tilted her head to the side.

"Is something the matter?"

"Eh, I dunno, babe. Not quite sure I fit the dress code, ya know?"

Alicia shrugged and briefly adjusted her sunglasses.

"Wouldn't have exactly been easy to find a tuxedo in your size, Ben."

Ben rolled his head from side to side and pursed his lips.

"Ha, ha, ha. You been spendin' too much time around Johnny. His lip's rubbin' off on you."

"Perhaps."

"Besides, already got Reed wearing one of them penguin suits for his dinner with Sue tonight. I don't want to be ribbin' anyone else's style, know what I mean?"

Ben grunted and tapped his hands against his sides, still not moving from his spot. Alicia panned her head slightly so that she was almost facing him.

"Do you not want to go inside?"

"Uh, what? Uh, oh, no, I mean, yeah, I just . . . ."

The sides of Alicia's mouth turned downwards.

"If it makes you feel too uncomfortable, we don't have to."

Ben closed his eyes for a few moments and swallowed. He then looked to the side and sighed before tapping his right foot against the ground a couple times.

"Ben? What is it?"

Ben reached up with his right hand and scratched the part of his forehead where his right eyebrow would have been.

"I, uh . . . . I don't . . . . ugh . . . ."

Alicia tilted her head downwards and blinked as she waited for him to finish. Moving his hand, Ben rubbed his chin with the side of it before speaking again.

"This is just not my thing," he said. "Mean, I wanna be there, do it, you know, for you. Cause it's you. But I won't . . . . fit in. Ya understand?"

"Perfectly."

"But I still wanna do it. Cause it's you."

Alicia beamed, reaching out with her hand and massaging the side of Ben's arm. She ran her fingers through the cragged grooves in his skin, tracing the lines that held him together.

"You've no need to be afraid, Ben."

"Heh. You been sayin' that one a lot. Tryna give me a complex or somethin'?"

"I'll keep saying it until you believe it."

Ben opened his mouth as if to speak, but caught himself unprepared for the forceful but still compassionate tone of Alicia's response. Considering her words for another minute, he then straightened up his back and let out a deep breath. Turning to her, he then reached out with both hands and placed them on her arms.

Alicia playfully murmured upon being touched.

"Anybody ever tell ya you're one helluva gal?"

"Hmmm. I might have heard it once or twice."

His chest swelling up, Ben put on a smile, even if he knew she could not see it. For in truth, she didn't have to; she could sense the change in his demeanour, but that was not enough for Ben. For him, that moment where they were smiling at each other helped give him all the confidence in the world.

Letting go of her arms, he then turned back towards the entrance.

"Alright," he said. "Let's do it."

Alicia led Ben towards the doors, pushing them open with both hands. Crouching down so as to not damage the upper frame, Ben followed her inside and was immediately set upon by dozens of wary eyes. Many of the patrons turned to look at him as he entered, and all of them were clearly surprised by his appearance.

Ben quickly scanned the room, trying not to let his dismay show on his face as he took note of everyone staring at him. He was then nudged by Alicia with the back of her elbow.

"Come on," she said.

Alicia started walking into the lobby, ignoring the other patrons. Blinking and glancing at the floor for a moment, Ben then walked after her, trying to focus specifically on where she was going and not on anyone else. Still, he couldn't help but have his gaze drawn to the floor, watching as his rocky, orange feet took each trespassing step.

Soon enough, the two of them were inside of the main gallery area, which featured walls of white with numerous paintings adorning them. The light fixtures and polished flooring were discernibly expensive, helping to create a lavish decor that embellished the aura of the entire place. Ben had rarely felt more uncomfortable in his life.

At that moment, a woman walked from another part of the open concept gallery, taking notice of her two new guests. She had shoulder length, dark brown hair, with her face framed by a twin set of elegant, lavender gem earrings. Wearing a colour block sheath dress with salmon and white sections, she strolled towards Alicia with her arms across her chest, her hands gently placed on the inside of her elbows.

Standing in front of Alicia, the woman then moved her neck back slightly so as to get a better look at Ben, who towered over Alicia from behind. Shifting her jaw to the left for a moment, the woman then returned her gaze to Alicia. She waited a second before speaking.

"Welcome. May I help you with something?"

Alicia held out her hand.

"Alicia Masters."

The woman took a moment before reaching out and shaking Alicia's hand.

"Vanessa Marianna," she said. "Miss Masters, yes. I know of your work."

Vanessa then found herself looking over at Ben again.

"I . . . . see you've brought a friend."

Alicia weakly chuckled as she gestured towards Ben.

"Ah, ah, y-yes, this is Ben Grimm, of the . . . ."

"I'm aware."

Ben tapped the tips of his index fingers together.

"Eh, nice to, uh, meet you, ma'am . . . ."

"A pleasure," said Vanessa, her tone flat.

Ben blinked as Vanessa then turned around, haughtily ignoring him. She then started leading Alicia into the gallery, returning her arms to their crossed position. Ben sighed and shook his head as he put his hands at his sides and solemnly followed after them, the soft pattering of his feet drowned out by the noise made by Vanessa's expensive designer heels.

"So what brings you to my gallery, Miss Masters?"

"Well, as I understand, you host a variety of sculptures and other applied arts to go along with your paintings. I was hoping to get some sense of what types of applied arts you have a taste for."

Vanessa shifted her jaw slightly to the left again, not turning to look at Alicia when she spoke.

"You're interested in having your pieces hosted by my gallery," she said.

"Uh . . . . well, yes."

"Miss Masters, I host pieces for some of the most prestigious clientele in New York. I routinely sell pieces for prices well into seven figures."

"W-Well . . . . I, I wouldn't be asking for that much . . . ."

"I have little doubt as to your skill or enthusiasm, Miss Masters, but the fact remains that your work is nowhere near as well known as many of my other clients."

"B-But you knew who I was!"

Vanessa brought her hands together in front of her stomach as she replied.

"Of course, because I make it my business to know every artist in this city, regardless of craft or personal circumstance. It's how I maintain my position as the most sought after art dealer in New York. I've curated for galleries and functions in over a dozen countries on four different continents. This is no doubt why you've come to me; after all, you want to become more well known, do you not?"

Alicia lowered her shoulder and gulped, her face growing sullen. Vanessa glanced to the side for a moment before clearing her throat.

"My concern is not with the quality of your pieces, but with . . . ."

"Hey! Don't you get smart with me!"

Vanessa and Alicia turned to the side, where they were in plain view of Ben, who was waving one of his arms down. His gesture was directed towards a couple of elderly patrons, a man and a woman.

"Ah, who needs ya? Buncha lousy, no good, wool suit types who think they're better than me! Me! The idol of millions!"

Alicia tilted her head to the side and gave Ben a stern face. Vanessa furrowed her brow and looked at Ben with confusion.

"Ben!" said Alicia.

Ben threw up his hands before using one to point at the elderly man.

"Hey, don't look at me! He started it!"

Alicia sighed and shook her head as she put a hand on her forehead.

"Oh, Ben . . . ."

"Mister Grimm," said Vanessa, "if you are disturbing my guests, I'm afraid I'll have to . . . ."

"Ah, I ain't doing nothin'. Don't worry about me. I'm as friendly a guy as you'll ever meet, and I'd pulverize any joker who says otherwise. So, whaddaya say 'bout my girl, huh? She's a real fine catch, I say so myself. I, I mean . . . . for the art stuff. That is why she came here, ain't it? Wants to stock up your shelves with her sculptures and knick-knacks. You'll take her, right?"

"Actually, I was just explaining to Miss Masters why I will not be able to help her."

"YOU WHAT?!"

Without thinking, Ben punched out to the right, slamming his fist against the wall. However, to connect with the wall, his fist punched directly through one of the paintings. A handful of people gasped as everyone else went silent. Vanessa held both of her hands out in front of her with open fists as her jaw dropped.

Ben slowly withdrew his hand, his muscles quivering. The destroyed painting then fell off the wall, landing on the ground with a deafening crash. The impact shattered the frame and sent shards of wood and pieces of material all across the floor. Alicia cringed at the sound. Ben looked down at the pile and blinked, unable to say anything.

Alicia sighed as Vanessa then finally broke the silence.

"S-Someone . . . . someone get this, this, this THING . . . . out of my gallery!"

Ben lowered his head, looking down at the floor in shame. He then closed his eyes.

"Don't bother. I know my way out."

His hands at his sides, Ben then turned away and silently marched out of the room, with all eyes on him. Alicia took a few moments to think before she took off after him. Pushing through the double doors, she then walked to the sidewalk, where he had already started making his way back the way they came.

"Ben? Ben!"

Ben didn't respond. Alicia followed him, listening to the sounds of his footsteps.

"Ben, please. You know I can't run. Please wait. Wait! Ben!"

Still, she received nothing in response. She continued to try and follow him, but the sounds of the vehicles and pedestrians on the streets made it harder and harder to track his movements. After moving down an entire city block, she finally lost track of him. Tearing up, Alicia just stood still on the sidewalk as thousands of people moved all around her.

Then, the moonlit sky gave way to a slew of rain, which just seemed to make everything worse. Within moments, her tears were drowned out by the infinite number of raindrops, which made her suffering all the more invisible.

* * *

"Nice view."

With her left arm hanging down and her right hand on her left elbow, Susan stared out at the iconic lights of the Manhattan skyline. She was wearing a dark blue peplum dress that she had specifically chosen for the occasion. She was standing on a balcony patio, attached to a restaurant situated in the penthouse level of a building.

While the interior of the establishment was completely stuffed with patrons, the balcony had been completely cleared. All of the tables were made and ready, but no one was sitting at any of them. Instead, Susan was standing alone, left to stare out at the lights of the city that she called home. After a few more moments of silent thought, she heard the transparent double doors to the balcony open behind her.

Turning around, Susan saw Reed walking through the doors. He was wearing a finely-pressed and clean tuxedo, and he took a moment to pull on the ends of his bow tie before approaching her. She moved her eyes and up and down his entire outfit, realizing to herself that it had been weeks since she had seen him wear anything other than his Future Foundation costume.

Susan put her hands together in front of her, her downward facing palms pressed against her body. Reed coaxed himself into a smile as he found himself staring at her face. Susan saw that his gaze kept shifting, seemingly unable to focus on which of her features he specifically wanted to look at. After a few seconds of this, Susan giggled and ever so slightly shook her head.

"You, uh . . . . you look gorgeous," said Reed.

"Thanks."

Silence.

"Should, uh . . . . should we sit down?" asked Susan.

"Uh, yeah. Y-Yeah."

Reed and Susan took their respective places at one of the tables. Reed placed both of his palms on the table, repeatedly pattering his fingers against the surface. Susan sat with her hands in her lap, looking out at the city again. After a minute or so, a waiter walked out and took their drink orders before handing them both menus and returning inside.

"This is nice," said Susan.

"Yeah."

Reed blinked as he looked around at the rest of the tables.

"Good that they didn't put us inside," he said. "I was getting a little bit mobbed walking through the dining area."

Susan blinked.

"Well, of course," she said. "The hostess told me you requested the whole balcony be cleared for us."

"I did?"

Susan nodded. Reed thought for a couple moments before tapping his left wrist against his forehead.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, I think Herbie said something about that. Probably a good idea he had when he made the reservation."

Susan shook her head and blinked a couple times as the waiter returned, pouring out a glass of water and a glass of wine for each person.

"Wait, what? Herbie made the reservation?"

"Yeah," said Reed, reaching for his glass.

"You said you were gonna make it."

"What's the difference?"

Reed took a sip of his water, nodding at the waiter and smiling. She held her gloved hands together before looking at each of her customers in turn.

"Have you had a chance to look at the menus?"

Susan glanced at the waiter.

"Just, just give us a minute."

"Absolutely, Miss Storm."

The waiter turned away and returned inside. Reed looked over at Susan, who did not seem impressed.

"What?" he asked. "What did I do?"

"You couldn't have called the restaurant yourself?"

Reed coughed, holding his hand in front of his mouth.

"I, I . . . . I was working. Putting the finishing touches on the warp core so I could deliver it on time. So I asked Herbie to help. Told him to go ahead and pick somewhere nice, somewhere you . . . ."

"You didn't . . . ."

Susan moved her head back as a frown started to grow on her face.

"You didn't even pick the restaurant?"

"Uh . . . . Susan, please. You know how much work I've been doing on the spacecraft. I, I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm not upset," said Susan. "I know you've been working really hard this past year to make this happen. I know this is your dream. I just . . . . you know that I have no problem with all the work you do. It's who you are. But you also said that we would carve out more time for . . . . us. Us is something that's felt a little sidelined for, for a long time. I want more time for things like this, and . . . ."

Susan took a moment to breathe before continuing.

"I don't think it's too much to ask for you to care about us, too."

Before Reed could stammer out a response, a beeping noise was heard coming from his person. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white disc. Pressing the centre with his thumb, the disc flipped open and transformed into a datapad, with a hard-light hologram interface. Herbie's face appeared on the screen.

"Give me, give me just a second," he said.

Susan clenched her teeth, but did not open her mouth to show it. She then put her elbows on the table and lowered her arms so that they were perpendicular to her body, with one palm placed over the other.

"What is it, Herbie?" asked Reed.

"Hello, Doctor Richards! I hope that you are enjoying your night on the town with Susan! I trust that the dinner arrangements I made are to your liking?"

"They're fine, Herbie."

"Splendid! Now, to the matter at hand . . . . I was doing more data crunching regarding our interstellar trip, and there are a few modifications to some of the design specifications that I believe you should look over."

Susan rolled her eyes and looked back out at the city again. Reed noticed this and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Herbie, c-can we do this later? I just . . . ."

"But Doctor Richards, time is of the essence! If we want to maintain our schedule, I must begin construction as soon as possible. My Repair-Bots have almost completed their assigned tasks, and then they will assist me with the construction. As long as you approve of the design modifications, of course!"

Reed sighed.

"Okay, okay, Herbie. Let's hear it."

"Very well, Doctor Richards! Let us start with . . . ."

Herbie would then ramble on for the next ten minutes. Susan blankly stared at Reed, her head leaning against her right fist. She had to send the waiter back on two separate occasions. Finally through waiting, Susan turned herself invisible. For a full minute, Reed continued his conversation with Herbie as if nothing had changed.

Sighing, Susan stayed invisible as she then stood up and jumped over the balcony's railing. Creating a force field disc under her feet, she then soared her way through the skyscrapers of the city until she arrived at the Empire State Building. Sitting on one of the highest possible perches and lowering her legs so that they were dangling over the edge, Susan turned visible again.

For a long while, she just sat there, absorbed in her own morose thoughts. She did not know if anyone in the city could see her at that moment, but she honestly didn't care, for she truly felt unnoticed by the one person who mattered to her the most. Finally, she couldn't keep her emotions contained any longer, and she started to cry, placing both hands on her face.

Then, the moonlit sky gave way to a slew of rain, which just seemed to make everything worse. Within moments, her tears were drowned out by the infinite number of raindrops, which made her suffering all the more invisible.


	3. Exploration

Earth-717: Fantastic Four Vol 2

Chapter 3: Exploration

Bouncing up and down in the air, Herbie led Susan, Johnny and Ben out and onto the roof of the Baxter Building. There, a special launching platform had been prepared, and situated on it was a sleek, white and blue starship. It was the same size as the previous iteration, with newly designed engines that were powered by the warp core.

Reed was standing in front of the ship, looking down at a datapad in his hands. He was wearing his Future Foundation outfit, as were Susan, Johnny and Ben. Looking up upon noticing the three approaching him, he smiled at them and tapped a button on the datapad, transforming it into its disc form. He put the disc in his pocket before holding out his hands.

"Everyone."

Reed look at the other three members of his team in turn. They were standing opposite him in a line, with Susan on the left, Johnny in the middle and Ben on the right.

"Today is the culmination of all the work I've done," said Reed. "The ship is finally ready, and today, we go into space. Allow me to present . . . ."

Reed turned and gestured towards the completed ship, which had its name painted on the side in black lettering.

"The _Venture_."

Scratching the back of his head, Johnny then held up his hand.

"Johnny?" said Reed.

"Yo, big brain. Uh, question. Where's like . . . . the pizzazz?"

Everyone looked at Johnny with raised eyebrows. Herbie even turned himself sideways.

"I am not quite sure I understand your choice of verbiage, Jonathan," said Herbie.

"Oh, come on. Pizzazz, you know? Guys?"

No one said anything.

"Really?" said Johnny. "You guys know what I mean! People! Thought we were celebs! Where's the press, the fans, the cheerleaders?"

"Awh, what's the matter, tough guy?" asked Ben, gently elbowing Johnny in the side. "Sad cause you done up your hair all nice and fancy and there ain't nobody 'round to see it?"

"Yeah!"

Ben laughed while Johnny sulked. Reed then reached out with both his arms, placing his left hand on Susan's shoulder and his right hand on Ben's.

"I know we've been through quite a bit this last year," said Reed. "All of us. Our lives have turned into a roller-coaster, and I've probably spent far too much time on some things, and not enough on others."

Susan glanced away for a moment and smiled.

"But there's nobody else I'd rather do this with. This is my life's dream, and you three . . . . you're my family. You're the ones I want to share this moment with. Not the press, not the fans . . . . not even the cheerleaders. Sorry, but I'm really not sorry, Johnny."

Johnny sighed, putting a hand on his forehead. Susan giggled.

"So, let's go and make history. Together."

Reed retracted his hands.

"Eh, mighty fine speech, Stretch, but I don't buy it. You're sayin' that we're about to blast off across the good old Milky Way and nobody's watching?"

Reed smirked.

"Well, somebody's watching."

At that moment, the SHIELD helicarrier materialized near the top of the Baxter Building. Susan, Johnny and Ben all gasped as it faded into view.

"What the . . . ."

"Hot damn!"

"By my sweet aunt Petunia!"

Reed laughed as the other three took a moment to recover from being startled. Ben pointed at the helicarrier.

"How did . . . . how did they do that?"

Then, a voice that they did not recognize called out.

"Oh, that was me!"

A fit of giggles from an unknown source caused the three to look back at Reed. After a moment, two relatively short people, a man and a woman, came running out from behind the parked ship. They were holding hands and beaming with unbridled glee. The two of them stood next to Reed.

"Hi!"

The woman waved with her free hand at Susan, Johnny and Ben. Herbie performed an aerial somersault.

"Ah, so you two have finally come out of hiding!" said Herbie. "Excellent, excellent!"

"Yeah," said the man, widely grinning. "That whole bit with the invisibility matrix? That was me. All me."

"His technical skills are quite marvellous, aren't they?" asked the woman.

"Uh, I'm sorry," said Susan. "Who are you two?"

"Who are we?"

The man and the woman looked at each other before putting on devious smiles. Noticing this, Reed then placed a hand on his chin.

"Uh oh," he said. "You might have wished you didn't ask that."

"Oh, the routine?" asked Herbie. "I love this!"

"You wanted to know who we are?" asked the woman.

The two closed their eyes and placed their backs against each other. After a couple moments of silence, the two then broke into a heavily synchronized routine as Susan, Johnny and Ben all watched in utter confusion.

"Masters of our fields, for we know them best," said the man.

"Each day we put our lab skills to the test," said the woman.

"We strive to be better than all the rest . . . ."

"To find all the answers is our main quest!"

Both of them sharply turned their faces to look at their audience.

"Fitz!"

"Simmons!"

The two scientists then faced their bodies forward and held their arms out in what looked like battle ready poses.

"For we are the ones that the world call . . . ."

"When they need an answer, big or small!"

The last segment they spoke in unison.

"Goooooooo . . . . SCIENCE TEAM!"

Fitz and Simmons held their poses. While Susan and Ben looked dumbfounded, Johnny immediately broke out into applause. He whistled and clapped, causing Fitz and Simmons to return to holding hands and taking a bow.

"That was awesome!" said Johnny. "These guys should get their own show!"

"I still ain't sure what I just saw," said Ben.

"And I'm not sure my question was even answered," said Susan.

Both Fitz and Simmons weakly laughed.

"I'm Fitz. She's Simmons."

"He's engineering. I'm biochem."

Susan raised an eyebrow, still clearly unsure of the two. Reed took a step forward.

"Guys, this is Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons. They're scientists who work for SHIELD. They've been helping me put some finishing touches on the ship."

"And they also helped us to co-ordinate with Director Fury!" blurted Herbie. "The launch will now go quite swimmingly, I assure you!"

Fitz and Simmons then proceeded to speak with all of the team members. They revealed that they were huge fans of the Fantastic Four, and had been clamouring for the chance to meet them all. Johnny even tried to ask Simmons on a date, but Susan smacked him on the back of the head and once again reminded him about his girlfriend, Doris.

As Fitz and Simmons continued to speak with Susan, Ben took a moment to step off to the side. Putting his hands at his sides, he sighed and looked out at the Manhattan skyline. Breathing in the chilly morning air, Ben took some time to sort through his thoughts. Herbie, noticing this, flew away from the main group and went to his side.

"Benjamin."

"Hey, Herb."

"Is something the matter?"

"Nah, just . . . . just thinkin'."

"I have another saved message from Alicia. That's four now that you have not returned. Are you certain you do not want to hear them?"

Ben licked the inside of his cheek as he sighed. Breathing in and looking away, Ben then grunted and placed both of his fists on his hips.

"Not right now, Herb. Not right now."

"I understand."

A few minutes later, Reed, Susan, Johnny and Ben had all clambered inside the ship. Herbie was floating around the seating compartment as the hood of the ship locked into place. Fitz and Simmons were standing off to the side. Simmons gave an enthusiastic double thumbs up while Fitz put his arm around her shoulders.

Putting his hands on the controls, Ben initiated the engine. He was sitting on the upper left of the seating compartment, with Reed at his right. Johnny was behind Ben, and Susan was behind Reed. The seating arrangement was identical to the one they used when they went on their first trip into space on the fateful day that they received their powers.

Herbie was floating between Ben and Reed.

"All engines and power systems are online and operating at peak efficiency, Doctor Richards! We are go for launch!"

"Thanks, Herbie."

"Feels like slippin' on an old and comfy pair of sneaks," said Ben. "Just hope it's uh . . . . not as nutty as last time. Had a hell of a makeover when we got back on our first space trip."

Reed placed his hand on Ben's shoulder.

"I wouldn't do this without you," said Reed.

"Yeah," said Ben, with a snort. "Think that's the problem. I'm always enablin' ya!"

Johnny kicked out at the back of Ben's chair.

"Got your panties all twisted, Benjy?! Don't flake out on us now!"

Ben groaned. Susan created a miniature force field that she used to smack Johnny across the cheek.

"OW!"

"You deserved that," said Susan.

"Sure we can't just toss the kid out?" asked Ben. "Maybe Herbie can take his place as the fourth member. Or hell, call up that Betty Ross broad. She'd probably be way more helpful than this clown."

Susan folded her arms.

"I'd actually like to see another girl on the team," she said.

Johnny threw up his hands.

"You all suck!"

Ben chuckled. Reed smirked. Susan grinned. Johnny sulked. Herbie did a barrel roll.

"Oh, crap!" said Johnny.

"What is it now?" asked Susan.

"Hang on," he said, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. "Guess I better tell Doris where we're going."

"You didn't tell . . . .?"

Johnny tapped a button on his phone and held it to his ear as Ben chuckled again. Susan glared at Johnny while Reed shook his head. After a moment, Doris answered the call.

"Johnny?"

"Yo, Dorrie!"

"What are you calling me this early for? I wasn't even gonna get up today until I had to get ready for my noon class . . . . wait, what are you doing up? You're never up this early!"

"Yeah, special case, babe. Have uh, a . . . . thing, I gotta do today. Just wanted to let you know about it."

"Well, what is it? Better be during the day. You're still coming over tonight, right?"

"Tonight?!"

"Yeah! Remember? You're coming over for dinner? Meeting my parents for the first time? Don't tell me you forgot already!"

"Uh, babe, I, uh . . . ."

"So what's this thing you gotta do?"

"Well, not just me. It's me and the rest of the team. Wasn't my idea, really. We're uh . . . . we're going into space."

"INTO WHAT?!"

"Sorry! I'll make it up to you, I swear! You're the best! See you when I get back!"

"JONATHAN SPENCER . . . .!"

"Bye!"

Johnny hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket. Susan grumbled while Ben laughed.

"Ha, ha. Nice one, Romeo. Real sweep 'em off their feet kinda guy."

"Ah, shut up, Grimm!"

"Let's go!" said Herbie.

Ben pushed a button on the central panel, and the ship's engines activated. The warp core powered up as the ship lifted into the air, blasting into the sky and towards the atmosphere. Fitz and Simmons clapped as the ship quickly flew out of their visual range. Within very little time at all, the ship was leaving the planet.

"Interstellar co-ordinates locked in," said Herbie. "Oh, I'm so excited! A whole new world, just for us to explore! I can't wait!"

"I just hope somebody remembered to pack us a lunch," said Ben.

"Of course!" said Herbie. "I made all of the necessary preparations! My Repair-Bots are on board, all of Doctor Richards' interstellar research data has been uploaded to the _Venture_ 's central computer system, the warp core has been installed and thoroughly tested via my full suite of diagnostic programs, and I even remembered to put together a nutritional package comprised of several different types of specially prepared rations and snacks!"

"Eh. Rations. Hey, Stretch! Don't suppose you could give one of them warp cores to a pizza place, could ya? Hey, there's an idea! Pizza delivery . . . . in space! Bet it'd make a killing."

"Wouldn't there actually have to be someone in space to deliver the pizza to?" asked Susan.

"Details, details, Suzie."

"Warp core primed for launch!" said Herbie. "Faster-than-light path determined."

"Alright, everyone," said Reed. "We're about to travel faster than anyone ever has. It'll still take a few hours to get there. So buckle in . . . . and let's enjoy the ride."

Ben pushed another button, and the cockpit view of the ship turned into a blue tunnel of flowing light. Glowing brightly, the warp core emitted a pulse of energy throughout all of the ship's systems. The _Venture_ then started travelling faster than the speed of light, rocketing through the galaxy towards the planet of Rigellia.

Little did the Fantastic Four know that the next time they would see their home planet, it would be a very different place.

* * *

On board his Pariah, General Morrat was sitting on his command chair. Numerous Skrulls and Mekkans were in the command centre, sitting at their consoles and performing their duties. Morrat was leaning his head against his biological hand, which was curled up into a fist. His metallic hand was stretched out over the arm of his command chair, and his six fingers were rhythmically clicking against his palm.

The Pariah was no longer in space; rather, it was now on Rigellia's surface. With the four legs unfurled, the Pariah had transitioned into its walker mode, where it could slowly move on the ground. The digital view-screen gave Morrat the ability to see the lush jungles of the planet's surface. He grumbled as the Pariah continued to move through the jungle, not finding anything of consequence.

Suddenly, the Mekkan second-in-command officer turned to Morrat.

"General."

"What is it?"

"I have received word that you have an incoming transmission. It is the Queen and the other members of the High Military Command. Apparently the Queen has called a strategic meeting."

Morrat stood up from his chair, putting both of his hands behind his back.

"I'll take the call in the conference room."

"Relaying the call to the conference room now, General."

"Thank you, Officer."

Hunching over as he walked, Morrat left the command centre and walked down a metallic hallway to the conference room. Despite the Pariah moving as it lumbered over the continent, the internal inertia dampeners made it feel as if there was no movement at all, so that people on the inside of the vessel weren't constantly falling over.

Reaching a sealed door, Morrat used one of his metallic fingers to punch in a five digit security code on a wall panel. The panel flashed a green light for a second before the door retracted into the ceiling. He walked into the conference room, and the door sealed shut behind him. The room was small and circular, with a podium in the centre and four rectangular screens affixed on the wall.

As Morrat stepped on the podium, the circle panel beneath his feet lit up with blue light. The four screens then turned on, and each one showed a live holographic image, with three Skrulls and one Mekkan. The Skrulls were General Paibok, General De'Lila, and Queen Veranke, and the Mekkan was General Bendolan.

Morrat looked directly at Veranke before giving a bow, his left hand behind his back and his right hand in front of him.

"My Queen."

Veranke closed her eyes for a moment and nodded at Morrat's gesture.

"General Morrat," said Veranke. "Thank you for joining us."

"Of course, my Queen. To what do I owe this most pristine pleasure?"

"I have called this meeting of my military cabinet because the most important phase of our offensive is finally in place," said Veranke. "General Paibok and his forces are ready to converge on Earth. As the most important planet to my plans, I have committed the bulk of the Pariahs to it."

"My forces will take the planet with the utmost speed, my Queen," said Paibok.

"Forgive my boldness, my Queen," said De'Lila. "But I would quite like to finally be privy to why Earth is so important. You've never explained what a primitive planet has to do with your grand strategy."

"I share De'Lila's concern," said Bendolan. "Why is Earth so important?"

Veranke exhaled.

"Clearly none of you have done as extensive research into Asgardian cosmology as I have," she said. "You all should know that the Kree very recently made an attempt to annex the planet. This is likely because the Supreme Intelligence has come to possess the same knowledge that I have."

Morrat clicked his fingers again as he listened to Veranke's explanation.

"The reason that Earth must be taken is because the space in the Sol system is extremely compatible with dark energy portals. If we take Earth, we could build dozens of warp gates in the system and use them as a hub for our interstellar supply lines. Supremor's attempt at conquering Earth indicates that he knows of its properties, but I doubt he knows why they exist."

"Why do they exist?" asked De'Lila.

"Because, according to ancient Asgardian texts, Earth, which they call Midgard, is the direct centre of Yggdrasil, the World's Tree. It's essentially the Asgardian understanding of the entire universe. The farther and farther you get from Midgard, the more difficult it becomes to sustain the portals. I shouldn't have to explain what an advantage having control over the system would be in our war."

"A most cunning strategy, my Queen," said Morrat.

"Paibok," said Veranke. "Get your forces on the ground and eliminate all opposition. I need Earth under complete Skrull control as quickly as possible."

"It will be done, my Queen."

Paibok's hologram then faded out. Veranke then looked back at Morrat.

"General. It is my understanding that Rigellia has not yet been conquered."

"Yes," said Morrat. "We crushed the defensive fleet relatively easily, but the ground battle has become more complicated than expected. The Nova defenders have managed to form a considerable defensive network across some of the continents, but . . . . they will soon fall."

"See to it. De'Lila's push on Sakaar is going well, and Bendolan's forces are close to securing Protaris. We need to conquer as many enemy worlds as we can."

"What about Xandar?" asked Morrat.

Veranke chuckled.

"Leave Xandar to me. I know someone who can help us with that one."


	4. Rigellia

Earth-717: Fantastic Four Vol 2

Chapter 4: Rigellia

"Arriving at calculated interstellar co-ordinates in approximately ten seconds. How splendid!"

Herbie spun around with glee, using his hover jets to perform a maneuver similar to a ballet move. Ben had his hands on the controls, despite not actually having needed to drive the ship for the last few hours. Reed and Susan were watching the blue light tunnel with heavy anticipation. Johnny was sleeping.

Reed was looking at a datapad in his hands. It was showing a holographic image of the ship's plotted course through the galaxy.

"Three, two, one . . . ."

The warp core emitted another pulse of energy, and the blue light tunnel faded away. The _Venture_ instantaneously slowed down from faster-than-light travel to a near standstill, with the inertia dampeners preventing the people inside from feeling anything more than a slight lurch. Still, it was enough to jostle Johnny out of his sleep.

He was so startled that he immediately burst into flames.

"Who, what, when, where, why, how, what?!"

Johnny looked down to see that he was on fire. Susan and Ben shared a brief laugh. Sighing, Johnny turned off his flame. Reed looked over his shoulder at him.

"Good thing I had the foresight to make the _Venture_ 's interior fireproof, right?"

"Hell yeah," said Johnny, his voice strained from being out of breath.

"Hot dream, junior?" asked Ben. "Heh, heh. Guess it's better than a wet one."

Susan scoffed.

"B-Ben, that's, that's not . . . . f-funny . . . ."

Susan couldn't finish her sentence because she was laughing so hard. Reed waited until her laughing fit was done before pointing out at the planet before them. It looked remarkably similar to Earth from orbit, albeit with larger and very differently shaped continents.

"Look, everyone. We made it."

"Wow. It looks so much like our own planet, Reed."

"Hell of a thing, egghead."

"Spectacular!"

"Sure we didn't just pull a cosmic u-turn?"

Reed took in a deep breath and smiled as he looked down at the planet. Everyone went silent, knowing that he was taking a moment to appreciate the magnitude of the feat he had just accomplished. He then looked over his shoulder at Susan and Johnny.

"We did it. We . . . . thank you all. For doing this with me."

"We have your back, Reed," said Susan.

"Any day, big brain," said Ben.

"Think I was gonna miss out on this?" asked Johnny.

"Alright," said Reed, facing forward again. "Let's see what's down there. Ben, take us in."

"Adventurin' ahoy," said Ben.

Pushing forward the throttle, Ben started flying the _Venture_ towards the planet. Within minutes, the ship had broken through the atmosphere and into a long stretch of clouds. Once the _Venture_ lowered through the wispy wall, the four were privy to a pristine view of the wondrous landscape below. Wide swaths of untamed jungle and tree-covered mountains stretched out in all visible directions.

"Whoa," said Ben.

Reed was silent, but the smile across his face grew wider and wider as the _Venture_ soared over the unknown world. While they could recognize much of the foliage as tree-like, the colours of the leaves covered a wide palette of shades of both yellow and green. At the same time, a handful of pink, reptilian winged creatures flew alongside the ship, with one of them calling out at it.

"Hey," said Johnny. "They got birds here too! Well, lizard birds, or whatever."

"Just as I suspected," said Reed. "An alien world. A whole new world full of life. We are literally seeing an entire alien ecosystem for the first time."

Herbie flipped himself upside down.

"I've completed an environmental toxicology scan of the surrounding air, Doctor Richards! According to my data, the air is perfectly breathable! You won't even need to use the containment suits! This planet's resemblance to our own is extremely remarkable!"

Moving towards a clearing, the _Venture_ then flew over a cliff that had a waterfall pouring over it. The water pooled into an area where several quadrupedal creatures could be seen gathered in a herd. They had leathery, silver skin and hooves, but their heads had a distinct, rectangular bone plate affixed on their foreheads that was positioned perpendicular to their bodies.

"To think, that the flora and fauna on this world might resemble ours so closely. Almost like a 'what if' catalogue of our own planet's evolution."

"It's incredible," said Susan.

"We need a closer look," said Reed. "Find a place to set her down."

"Think I see a meadow up there," said Ben. "That'll work."

Flying past the waterfall area, Ben flew the _Venture_ towards the edge of the jungle. The thick branches of the trees gave way to large, rolling plains of grass, which was the perfect location for the ship to land. Slowing down and pulling in for a landing, Ben smoothly put the _Venture_ down, with the ship's retractable landing legs unfurling from panels on the underbelly and touching the ground.

Everyone unbuckled themselves as Ben pressed a button that opened up the cockpit hatch. Reed stretched out his legs and stepped onto the alien world's surface, the first human being to do so. Susan formed a force field disc under her feet, flying upwards to get a better look at the horizon. Johnny and Ben jumped out of the ship and looked around.

Herbie floated up to where Susan was, bouncing close to her shoulders.

"It is quite fantastic, isn't it, Susan?"

"Yeah, Herbie. It is."

"Guys!"

Everyone turned to look at Reed, who was holding a datapad and was pulling several pieces of scientific equipment out of the ship. They all returned to his side as he held out a set of white, technological earpieces that were similar in design to his datapads.

"I need you all to take one of these," he said.

"What's this?" asked Ben. "Thought we already had those gizmos. These look new."

Reed nodded at Ben as he handed them out. All three of Reed's team members placed them inside their left ear.

"New model of my earpiece trackers. I've designed them specifically for this mission. They should be more comfortable now, and they all have the updated version of my operating system. More for me than for you, and also so we don't lose track of each other and can still talk if we split up."

"Nice work, Reed," said Johnny. "Can barely feel it! Old one was always kinda itchy."

"Now remember, everyone. Even though we can breathe here, we're still in a completely foreign environment. Herbie will continuously scan the area for any potential hazards, but try to stay cautious. Any of the creatures could be hostile, and any of the plants could be poisonous. We're exploring this planet for the first time, and I'd prefer not to have any of you die on me while we're out here."

"Ah, you worry too much, Stretch. What could hurt good old Benjamin J. Grimm out here?"

"Yeah, don't sweat it, big brain! I got places to be and places to see! FLAME ON!"

With that, Johnny burst into flames and rocketed into the sky, effortlessly rotating as he did so. Giving a cheeky wave at his teammates, he then blasted back over the jungle, clearly eager to see as much of this new world as he could. Susan folded her arms and shook her head, but didn't chase after her brother, for she knew that he would just keep going anyway.

Cracking his knuckles, Ben then started to walk out towards the rolling plains.

"Well, might as well get a good walk in, right? See ya kids later."

Ben strolled away from the group, leaving Reed and Susan alone with Herbie. Reed quickly placed several of his analysis tools into a satchel, which he then slung over his left shoulder. He then turned to Herbie.

"Herbie. Watch the _Venture_ and let me know if there's anything we should be worried about."

"Aye, aye, Doctor Richards!"

Reed then beckoned for Susan to follow him.

"Come on. Let's go see what this planet has to offer."

Susan smiled and nodded, following after Reed as he walked. Entering the jungle, the two quickly grew accustomed to the environment, largely because of how similar it was to Earth's natural wildlife. Susan found herself drawn to the irregularities that made it clear that this was a different ecosystem entirely, such as the colour variations of certain plants and the completely unrecognizable insect-like creatures.

Within minutes, Reed started pulling out his tools, scanning various lifeforms and cataloguing the data he found on his datapad. He also collected soil samples, along with bits of leaves and some kind of sap that was pouring out of a hole from a large tree. He was unabashedly beaming as he worked, his brain constantly going over the possibilities of what he might discover once he brought all of these samples back to his labs for analysis.

Susan walked patiently and silently with him for a while, hoping that a conversation would open between them. Realizing that he was too engrossed in his work, she then finally relented and spoke out for herself.

"Hey."

Reed quickly glanced at her.

"Hey," he said.

Susan put her hands behind her back, before gently kicking the air.

"So . . . . good to have a little time to ourselves."

"Yeah, it is," replied Reed, without turning to look at her.

Susan grumbled under her breath before holding out her hand. A second later, the datapad in Reed's hand turned invisible. Startled, he gasped and dropped it, and it turned visible again upon landing on the ground. Reed turned to look at Susan as he picked up the datapad.

"Is . . . . something bothering you?"

"Yeah," she answered, her tone firm. "Something's bothering me. I'm trying to talk to you, but just like that night at the restaurant, you're ignoring me."

"That's what this is about?"

Susan shook her head.

"No. It's about everything. About how I feel like the farther and farther you get into this project, the more and more we drift apart. This is something we need to talk about."

Susan folded her arms and exhaled. Sighing, Reed pushed the button on the datapad that turned it into its disc form. Placing the disc in his pocket, he then turned back to her.

"Okay. Let's talk."

"Reed, I don't wanna take away from what you've done. From what we've done. We've done some real good, us as a team. But a year ago, you told me that this . . . . that us . . . . that it's what you wanted. That, that it was important to you."

"It is important to me."

"Then why don't I feel like it is?"

Reed made a gesture as if he was going to take a step forward, but he stopped himself. A frown grew on his face as Susan looked at the ground, her arms still folded.

"I waited a long time for you, Reed. Some of that was my fault, sure. I was a kid. And I knew what I was getting into. It's the life you lead, the work you do. I didn't, I didn't have a problem with that. At all. It's who you are. It's part of . . . . part of the reason why I feel the way I do about you."

Reed glanced away for a moment as he considered Susan's words.

"But maybe it's because you've always had trouble with . . . . people. Or maybe it's because you don't realize it when you do it. Cause I know you care, but . . . . you don't make it clear enough. Or maybe you and I just aren't on the same page."

"What are you asking me to do, Susan?"

"I'm not asking you to do anything except listen to me. To try and figure out why I'm saying this right now."

Reed put a hand on his chin as the lines around his eyes softened. Susan again gently kicked out at the air.

"You remember the day we went up into space?" asked Susan. "When we were putting on our suits, getting ready to go?"

"Yeah."

"I spoke to Ben just before we left. He told me that you'd only had one real girlfriend in your entire life. Alyssa Moy?"

Reed nodded.

"That's her," he said.

"How long were you together?"

Reed paused before answering Susan's question.

"Two years."

"And in all that time, did you ever really feel close to her?"

Reed went silent, seemingly unable to answer the question.

"Cause from what Ben told me, you two didn't even bother to try," said Susan. "Said that it was more of an experiment than a relationship. And I'm telling you, if that's what this is to you, then I'm ending it right now."

Reed held up his hands.

"No, no, no, Susan, Susan! That's not what this is at all!"

"Reed. I saw the look in your eyes when you were collecting those samples. You had a spark. You could see the joy, the wonder. The need to find the answers. The need to discover. I know that's who you are, and I love you for it. And I will always have your back."

Reed lowered his hands and frowned.

"I just wish that, for once . . . . you'd look at me the same way."

"Susan . . . ."

Susan momentarily put up one hand.

"Don't. Don't say anything now. Think about what I said. We'll talk about it later, okay?"

Reed gulped and silently nodded. At that moment, both Reed and Susan were then surprised when the com links in their earpieces activated.

"Hey, guys?"

"What is it, Johnny?" asked Susan.

"We didn't have anyone else following after us, did we?"

"What?" asked Reed. "What are you talking about?"

"Just checking. You know, cause there's like, a bunch of ships heading towards me. Sorta like, like fighter jets or something."

Reed shook his head.

"Fighter jets? Here?!"

"Yeah, and now they're shooting at me! Oh, it's so on right now!"

Susan's eyes widened.

"JOHNNY!"

With that, the com link went silent.

"Johnny?! JOHNNY!"

"Sue!"

Susan looked at Reed.

"Back to the ship!"

* * *

"Yeah, you don't seem too bad."

The creature, which was one of the silver-skinned quadrupeds that the team saw in the clearing earlier, snorted in response to Ben. It then lowered its head and continued grazing, munching up another helping of grass. Ben, who was sitting on the ground next to it, rubbed the side of its belly with his left hand.

"Good to have someone I can just sit down and chat with, ya know? Been doin' a lot of thinking lately. Lot of thinking. About this and that. Still don't know what I'm gonna do, though."

The creature moved its head to the side for a moment before chewing up more grass. Scratching the creature's skin with his fingertips, Ben weakly chuckled as it called out, clearly enjoying the treatment. His frown then slowly crept back onto his face.

"Alicia didn't do anything wrong, really. Just . . . . I just dunno if I can go back to that. Thought I could have a real bond with someone, ya know? A real bond. The kind that the egghead and Suzie have. Huh. Some kids have all the luck. Me . . . . what was I thinkin'? I can never have that. Not when I look like this."

At that moment, the com link in his earpiece activated.

"Huh?"

"Hey, guys?" said Johnny.

"What is it, Johnny?" asked Susan.

"We didn't have anyone else following after us, did we?"

"What?" asked Reed. "What are you talking about?"

Ben stood up, listening to the conversation but staying silent.

"Just checking. You know, cause there's like, a bunch of ships heading towards me. Sorta like, like fighter jets or something."

"Fighter jets? Here?!"

"Yeah, and now they're shooting at me! Oh, it's so on right now!"

"JOHNNY!"

Without another word, Ben started running back the way he came, sprinting across the rolling fields and towards the _Venture_. He gave a short wave to the creature as he ran off.

"Johnny?! JOHNNY!"

"Sue!"

Ben panted as he saw the _Venture_ in the distance.

"Back to the ship!"

After another moment, Reed spoke again.

"Ben?! Ben, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Stretch! Heard the whole thing! I'm already bookin' it back to the ship! Get yourself and Suzie back there, pronto!"

As Ben reached the _Venture_ , the cockpit hatch opened, revealing that Herbie was already inside. Ben leaped into the pilot's seat as Susan flew into view, carrying herself and Reed on a force field disc. They dropped into their respective seats and Ben closed the hatch before taking off. As the ship gained enough altitude to look over the top of the trees, Susan pointed forward.

"There!"

In the distance, they could see Johnny in his flame form, being chased through the air by three small ships. They were comprised of a purple orb and two golden prongs, from which they fired green lasers. Johnny continuously performed aerial dodge maneuvers to avoid the laser shots. As Ben was about to fly forward, Johnny boosted directly towards the _Venture_ , flying overhead.

"Hey nerds!"

Johnny rocketed past them, and then Ben realized that the three starfighters were heading straight towards them.

"Whoa!"

Quickly turning the _Venture_ around, Ben then flew after Johnny, with the starfighters in pursuit. Johnny, who was several dozen metres ahead of the _Venture_ , looked over his shoulder and gave a thumbs up.

"Nice flying, Benjy!"

"You blazing bozo! Ya almost got us killed!"

"Almost . . . . but I didn't!"

Johnny laughed as Ben continued to fly the ship, swerving in as erratic of a pattern as he could to try and avoid the laser fire. Holding out her hand, Susan made the ship invisible, but the starfighters did not stop their pursuit.

"No good!" said Susan. "Must have thermal tracking or something. Any guesses on who's chasing us?"

"Must be some form of intelligent and sentient local life," replied Reed. "At least at our level of technology, if not higher! Remarkable! I wonder if they're bio-mechanically bipedal, like we are?"

"REED!" yelled Ben. "Skip the Discovery Channel special and tell me what kinda weapons this hunk of junk has!"

"Weapons? What do you mean, weapons?! It doesn't have any weapons!"

"WHAT?!"

"It's an exploration vessel, not a warship! I took out the weapons from the Fantasti-Car designs to make room for more scientific equipment! Ben, this isn't _Star Wars_!"

"Sure as hell feels like it!"

At that second, one of the lasers struck the left side of the ship, causing it to lurch. Ben groaned as he swerved the ship downward.

"Herbie!" yelled Susan. "Can you repair that?!"

"The Repair-Bots are on the job!" said Herbie.

"Susan, we could really use a force field," said Reed.

"On it!"

Closing her eyes and holding out her arms, Susan used her powers to form a spherical barrier around the entire ship. Because of how fast the _Venture_ was moving, it took intense concentration on her part to maintain it. Several of the laser blasts bounced off the force field, ensuring that the _Venture_ would not be damaged further.

Herbie spun around as his four Repair-Bots floated up to him. The tiny, orb-shaped robots then headed towards a small port in the left side of the ship, loading themselves inside a metallic tube. The port closed behind them before opening on the other side of the tube, allowing the Repair-Bots out. Each Repair-Bot had a number painted on it, from one through four.

Once the Repair-Bots were outside, they opened up their orb shells to reveal their tiny metallic appendages, and they started to fix the damage done to the ship's hull by the laser shot. As they worked, Johnny and Ben kept flying, with Johnny leading Ben into a jungle canyon. The starfighters continued their pursuit, and started firing missiles at the _Venture_ due to their lasers not having any effect on the force field.

Susan cringed as some of the missiles hit her barrier.

"This is getting kind of hard, guys!"

"We gotta take 'em out," said Ben. "Johnny! Blast 'em!"

"Wait, don't!" yelled Reed. "They're obviously intelligent! We can't just kill them!"

"Well we can't just let 'em kill us, either!" shouted Ben.

"Anybody got a bright idea, I'm listening!" said Johnny.

Another missile hit Susan's barrier.

"Someone do something!" she shouted.

At that moment, another group of fighters flew into view from overhead. These ones were golden, and had something of a star-like appearance. Firing lasers of their own, they shot down the pursuing starfighters, before pulling up to the sides of the _Venture_. One of the pilots looked over at Ben before giving him a wave.

"Huh?"

The starfighters flew out of the canyon, and Ben flew after them. Johnny also turned to follow. The starfighters led the team towards another clearing, where everyone landed. Johnny flamed off once he was on the ground. The Repair-Bots finished sealing up the damage to the _Venture_ and retreated inside the ship as Reed, Susan, Ben and Herbie got out of it.

The pilots of the starfighters all got out of their ships. The team immediately noticed that all the pilots were wearing matching uniforms, indicating that they were part of some sort of organized force. There were a wide variety of alien races represented amongst their ranks. The Fantastic Four looked them over, until one of the pilots, who greatly resembled a human, stepped forward.

"Greetings," he said.

"Greetings," said Reed.

"Thanks for the save," said Ben.

"You're welcome," replied the pilot, nodding at Ben. "You were being attacked by Skrull fighters. Your ship's energy signature must have been detected by their scanners. They consider any ship that's not their own to be hostile."

"Excuse me," said Susan, "but who are you?"

The pilot sighed.

"My name is Rhomann Dey. I'm a Denarian Officer in the Nova Corps."

All four members of the team raised their eyebrows.

"Welcome to Rigellia."


	5. Rhomann

Earth-717: Fantastic Four Vol 2

Chapter 5: Rhomann

Growling, Morrat walked into the command centre. He had both of his hands behind his back, and once again, he was hunched over. Some of the Skrull officers looked away from him as he walked past, clearly intimidated by the fact that he was so furious. Morrat marched up to his command chair and sat down before turning to his Mekkan second-in-command.

"Officer," he said. "I want a full battle report on the day's events."

"Our siege of Arima has made no significant progress," replied the Mekkan. "The defense network is far more formidable than calculated."

"Even against our other Pariah?!"

"Indeed, General. Still, our Mekkan supply base ensures that pressure on the city will not be stalled. The defenders cannot hold out forever."

Morrat growled again, slamming his metallic fist against the arm of his chair.

"Perhaps not forever, but far longer than expected! There can be no more delays! The capital must be seized!"

"Unfortunately sir, the guerrilla tactics of the other Nova forces have hampered our ability to focus our efforts on the capital. Another patrol squadron was destroyed."

"Another one?! Where?"

Morrat stood up and walked over to the Mekkan officer's console. Tapping a couple of buttons on his holographic screen, the Mekkan brought up a digital map of the continent, before zooming in on a specific region.

"Here," said the Mekkan. "The squadron's leader reported detecting an unknown ship energy signature and went to investigate. After a few minutes, all three fighters went offline."

Morrat furrowed his brow and clicked his metallic fingers against his palm.

"Unknown energy signature? You're certain it wasn't a Nova ship?"

"Positive. The signature did not match any ship within our databases from either the Nova Corps or the Kree Navy."

"Could it have been mercenaries? Pirates? A civilian vessel?"

"Any of those are possible, but we have no way of knowing at this time. We've lost track of the energy signature, just like we've lost track of the various Nova fighters. They've found some way of cloaking themselves from our detection protocols."

"Hmmm."

The Mekkan officer patiently waited as Morrat considered this information.

"Most likely, the Nova Corps are protecting some group of civilians who were trying to escape the planet," said Morrat. "Those bleeding hearts. But their hit and run tactics can't avail them forever. They have to know that enough pressure on Arima will bring the planet under our control."

"Shall we continue combing the continent, General?"

Morrat shook his head and waved down his metallic arm.

"No. I'm through playing along with the Nova's games. Chasing them through the jungle and hoping we get lucky isn't getting us anywhere. They know the territory too well, and since they can hide from our detectors, we have no chance of catching them by surprise."

Morrat turned around and returned to his chair.

"How shall we proceed, General?"

"Take us into orbit. Pull thirty percent of the security detail from the Mekkan supply base and reassign them to the offensive against Arima."

The Mekkan officer tilted its head to the side.

"But would that not make the Mekkan base a prime and vulnerable target?"

Morrat chuckled before answering.

"That's exactly what I'm counting on."

* * *

As night fell over the jungles of Rigellia, Rhomann's squad of starfighters led the _Venture_ to a secluded area. A disguised panel covered in foliage opened up in the ground, providing the ships access to a hidden underground hangar. Once all of the ships were inside, the panel closed again, recreating the illusion of a jungle devoid of secrets.

Clambering out of the _Venture_ , the Fantastic Four and Herbie were then beckoned by Rhomann and his fellow pilots to accompany them into the base. It was a large installation, comprised of a network of metallic tunnels and various rooms that served all of the standard functions of a military headquarters.

As they were silently led through the complex, Reed couldn't help but be completely floored with what he was seeing. It was far more than he could have ever anticipated; not only was this world host to sentient life, but multiple different species who were working in tandem. While he knew that the situation was now more dire than a simple exploration mission, he was still fascinated all the same.

Rhomann led them into another chamber, which was a large gathering hall. There were hundreds upon hundreds of people there of various species, all of them wearing a similar style of uniform. Many of them were sitting at tables, eating and speaking amongst each other. There were many others who were clearly injured, lying on makeshift medical beds and tables.

At the far end of the hall was a circular platform with several consoles surrounding it, and a holographic display screen affixed to the wall. Standing next to one of the consoles was a woman with avian features. She turned to look at Rhomann as he approached her. She immediately stood at attention.

"Denarian Dey, sir!"

"At ease, Corpsman."

The woman nodded and loosened her shoulders.

"Any news from the other bases?"

"Nothing really to report," she said. "Couple border skirmishes. Nothing major."

"What about Arima?"

The woman pressed a button on her console, causing the display screen to activate. It depicted a view of a gigantic city that was under siege. Numerous defense towers and soldiers inside of buildings were firing laser blasts at an army of attackers that were bolstered by tanks, starfighters and a gargantuan walker that was unlike anything any of the humans had ever seen.

After watching the screen for a few seconds, the woman turned back to Rhomann.

"They're still in the fight, but sir, they've been holding the line for almost two weeks. They're starting to crack, and the Skrulls aren't showing any signs of letting up."

"Any luck trying to get a message through to the Autarch?"

The woman sighed and shook her head.

"No. The communication relays are too damaged. Tried to get through to Xandar, to Chandilar, anyone I could think of. Still no luck."

"Understood."

The woman then gestured towards the group of four standing behind Rhomann.

"Who are they?"

Rhomann weakly laughed before looking back at the Four.

"Please, my apologies," he said, gesturing towards the woman. "Allow me to introduce my second-in-command, Officer Myla. Myla, these are some civilians who we rescued from a Skrull patrol squadron."

Myla folded her arms.

"Never seen their kind before. Those three look almost Xandarian, but not quite. And the big one kinda looks like a Kronan, but not really."

"Hey!" said Ben. "Now who you callin' . . . . whatever you just called me?"

"I think a formal introduction is in order," said Reed, patting Ben on the shoulder. "My name is Reed Richards. This is my partner, Susan Storm, her brother Jonathan, and our friend, Ben Grimm. We're humans from the planet Earth."

"And I'm Herbie!" said Herbie, bobbing up and down and waving one of his stubby arms.

"Humans, huh?" said Myla. "Never heard of 'em. You found these guys where?"

"They were in a ship," said Rhomann. "They were under attack by Skrull fighters out near the plains. We saved their lives."

"How do you know they aren't Skrulls in disguise?"

"Myla, really? I just told you we saved them from Skrulls, and they don't seem to have any idea what's going on here."

"I'll just bet."

"Don't worry about them. I'll go speak with them in private. You're in charge until I get back."

"As always."

Myla turned back to her console. Rhomann then shook his head and gestured for the Four to follow him. He led them to a small room adjacent to the main hall. The room was relatively barren, aside from a single circular table and several chairs surrounding it. Rhomann closed the door once everyone was inside.

Taking a seat, Rhomann then used his hand to motion towards the other chairs.

"Please, sit down."

The Four looked at each other in turn before all taking their seats. Ben tried to sit in one of the chairs, but it snapped under his weight and caused him to crash to the floor. Johnny grabbed his gut as he laughed. Moaning, Ben then stood back up and folded his arms. Herbie floated near Ben's shoulders.

"Yeah, think I'll stand, thank you very much."

Rhomann put his hands together. Johnny kicked back in his chair, putting his feet on the table. Susan glared at him for a moment. Reed stayed focused on Rhomann.

"So," said Rhomann. "You say you're humans from Earth?"

"That's right," said Reed.

"Hmmm. Far as I understand, least from what I've heard recently, Earth's a primitive planet. Non-spacefaring, I mean. No offense. So how'd you get out here?"

Reed held up a finger.

"Well, actually, I just designed our very first warp core. I built it into the ship we were flying."

"You just cracked warp technology? Huh. You're farther along than I thought."

"Uh, excuse me," said Susan. "I think we're getting off the point. I'm still not entirely sure what's going on, or who you are. What is all this? What are Skrulls? What's going on?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to side with Sue on this one," said Johnny. "Think this is the one time I actually kinda wanna hear the lecture. First question. What's with the get-up? Do all aliens wear that?"

"They're uniforms," replied Rhomann. "We're all members of the Nova Corps, the peacekeeping force that protects the Galactic Senate."

"Ah, great," said Ben. "We fell into an old _Star Trek_ episode. Bet Danvers would be lovin' this right about now."

"Galactic Senate?" asked Reed. "I'm assuming that this is a conglomerate government that represents the interests of several sentient species?"

Rhomann nodded.

"The Xandarians, my people, founded it. The other three races in the Senate are the Krylorians, the Rigellians and the Shi'ar. Officer Myla back there is Shi'ar, and, as you can probably figure out from the name, we're currently on the Rigellian homeworld. I was assigned as one of the officers on board the _Victory_ , the head ship of the Nova defense fleet around the planet."

Rhomann took a moment of pause before continuing.

"I was working under Centurion Torthar. Each major planet in Nova space has a commanding officer, a Centurion, who's in charge of defending that planet. Centurion Torthar . . . . well . . . . he died during the initial Skrull assault. I was the last one out, and . . . . since then, what remains of the Nova defenders on Rigellia have turned to me as something of a new leader."

"And who are these Skrulls?" asked Susan.

"The Skrull Empire is one of the other galactic superpowers. They're a race of shape-shifters, although recently they seem to have traded in subterfuge for brute force. We've been at war with them, for . . . . for forever, really. But it's never been like this. Before the communication relays went down, we got reports from all over the galaxy of Nova planets coming under attack. I've been in the Nova Corps a long time . . . . fought in a lot of battles. But this is a whole different scale."

"What changed?" asked Susan.

"Queen Veranke. Supreme ruler of the Skrulls. Since she's been in charge, things have gotten way worse. And apparently, she's built a new weapon. Something we've never seen before now."

Rhomann pulled out a small hologram device and placed it on the table. He tapped the centre of it, which caused the device to create a three-dimensional hologram image of a Pariah.

"They call them Pariahs. You saw one on that screen back there. Bigger than anything I've seen. I don't even know how they can power something that big. They destroyed one of our largest ships with just two shots from that main cannon. We've barely been able to put a dent in that armour."

Rhomann tapped the device again, turning off the hologram. As he put the device back in his pocket, Ben exhaled and looked at the ground. Rhomann looked at Susan.

"So to go back to your original question, Susan Storm, of what's going on? You four just found yourself a front row seat to a galactic war."

All of the members of the Fantastic Four took a few moments to look at each other. Even Herbie seemed perturbed, because he simply stayed still rather than bounce around like he normally did. After several seconds of silence, Reed looked back at Rhomann.

"I get the feeling you want to ask us something now," said Reed.

"I do. I can see that you all have some sort of powers. You're different. And I get the feeling that you all have seen combat before. It's in your eyes."

"Are you asking for our help?" asked Susan. "Or demanding it?"

Rhomann placed both of his arms on the table, one hand over the other.

"I'm not demanding anything," he said, his tone frank and sullen. "You're not prisoners. You're free to go whenever you want. You get back in your ship, turn on that warp core and you can fly right back to where you came from. But I don't have that luxury, or a lot of options . . . . I need any help I can get. So yes, I'm asking if you'll help us."

Susan glanced away for a moment before returning her gaze to Rhomann. Reed sighed.

"To be fair, Rhomann," said Reed, "we just met you. How do we even know we're on the right side? This isn't our war. We're just explorers."

"Yeah, you're just explorers. And your exploration led you right here. The Skrulls tried to kill you on sight. We didn't. We helped you. As I said, you're free to go. But not tonight. Base has gone into lock-down until sunrise. Can't afford to draw any attention to ourselves in case of nightly patrols. After my morning strategy session, I'll open up the hangar, and hopefully you'll have made a decision by then."

Rhomann stood up and approached the door.

"I'll have someone find a place to put you for the night."

* * *

A Rigellian officer had taken the Fantastic Four and Herbie to a small room with bunks. Ben chuckled to himself as he was reminded of his days in the military. After the door was closed and everyone settled in, Reed spoke up.

"I'm sorry."

Everyone turned to look at Reed.

"When I said that we were going to explore another planet, I never anticipated that we'd find anything like this. I've put you all in terrible danger."

"Thought the whole point of explorin' is that ya don't know what you'll find," said Ben.

"Yeah, man," said Johnny, spinning a tiny fireball around his index finger. "No sweat off our backs. Well, mine anyway. I don't sweat anymore, ha ha."

"I said it before, Reed," said Susan. "We've got your back. Better or worse."

Herbie floated right up to Reed's face.

"We're with you, Doctor Richards! We're your team, after all!"

Reed gently pushed Herbie out of his face and towards his shoulder.

"Thanks, Herbie."

"So, when are we going to tell the Denarian that we're gonna help him, Doctor Richards?"

Reed glanced at Herbie and raised an eyebrow before looking back at the rest of the team.

"Figured it was a bit of a given," said Ben, shrugging.

"Yeah," said Johnny, as he flicked the fireball into the air. "Those dudes helped us, and they look hella outmatched. But with Johnny Storm and his buds on their side, we should be smooth sailin' back home in no time."

"You all want to wade into a war that's not your own . . . . without hesitation?" asked Reed.

"Well, yeah," said Susan, bluntly. "When we got these powers, we made a choice. We said we were gonna help people, and these people need our help."

Ben pointed towards the door.

"You saw how many wounded they got out there! Those guys are gettin' clobbered by some nutty dictator with a bunch of giant robots! Sound familiar?"

Reed sighed and put his hands together.

"Yeah, it does."

"So yeah," said Ben. "No hesitation."

"From any of us," said Susan.

Reed smiled at his family, fully reminded of exactly why he cared for them so much.


	6. Pariah

Earth-717: Fantastic Four Vol 2

Chapter 6: Pariah

Reed watched intently as the wide, circular holographic display table created a three-dimensional hard-light hologram image of the battlefield, consisting of both the city of Arima and the surrounding area. Susan, Johnny and Ben were also present, along with Rhomann, Myla and a couple dozen more Nova Corps officers.

Herbie was floating near Reed's shoulders. Rhomann tapped a button on the table's control panel, causing it to finish loading all of the units on the field, displaying their movement in real time. Susan gulped upon looking at the Pariah that was encroaching on the capital city. Tapping another button, Rhomann then activated the zooming feature, which focused the table's display on the Mekkan supply base outside of the city limits.

"According to the data we have, defenses around the Mekkan base have lightened," said Rhomann. "They've been pulled out and added to the offensive on Arima. The pressure's getting to be too much. Those defenders won't be able to hang on much longer."

Several members of the Nova Corps started to murmur amongst each other, clearly distressed by the news. Myla frowned for a moment, before folding her arms and putting on as straight of a face as possible.

Johnny then stepped forward.

"So . . . . why not just march right up to their door with everyone and go in guns blazing? Cause that's what I'd do."

Susan threw her arms up in the air.

"Johnny!"

"Actually," said Rhomann, "that's exactly what I was going to propose."

Johnny smiled before turning to Susan.

"See, Sue? Obviously I'm the tactical genius around here."

Susan grumbled and folded her arms. Rhomann waited a moment before continuing.

"Without that Mekkan base, the offensive will be pinned, and they'll be cut off from their supplies. We pool our resources into a full assault, and I think we can take it. No more hitting and running. General Morrat might finally have his work cut out for him."

"Hell of a risk," said Ben.

"It's a risk we have to take," replied Rhomann. "Arima falls, the planet falls. Simple as that. And I'm not gonna let a Senate homeworld be taken without doing everything I can to defend it."

Reed narrowed his eyes for a moment.

"When were the defenders moved?" he asked.

Myla pulled out a datapad and looked at a set of number streams on it.

"Recon says they were moved . . . . middle of the night. Would've been about seven hours ago."

"That's after you found us," said Reed.

Susan turned to Reed and looked at him with concern.

"What are you thinking, Reed?"

"That this might be a trap. Morrat would know by now that his fighter squadron was taken out. A new variable got added to the scenario. Us. He knows that the base is a priority target. I think he might be trying to draw you out. Do you have a location on him?"

"No," answered Myla, shaking her head. "Many of our mapping nodes were destroyed. We don't have recon over the entire planet. His Pariah could be anywhere in the unknown zones, but it's not near Arima, that's for sure."

"He's been combing the continents personally," said Rhomann. "He's probably still out in one of the jungles, searching for hidden outposts."

"Are you sure?"

"What I'm sure of is that we can't sit around anymore," said Rhomann, pointing at the hologram. "Arima's on its last legs. We don't do this, and in a day's time, it's all over. If it's a trap . . . . then it's a damn good one, because we really don't have another choice."

Reed nodded.

"I understand."

Rhomann turned back to the table, putting both of his hands on it.

"Nova Corps, listen up. I know you're exhausted. I know you're scared. I know that these last couple weeks have been the worst we've ever faced. But this is the point when we turn this around."

Some of Nova officers started to stand up a little straighter.

"Morrat thinks he's won already. He's always been a smug bastard. He killed Centurion Torthar. And he's killed more of our brothers and sisters than we can count. But he hasn't killed us. And even though he already thinks this battle is won, he's failed to account for what the Nova Corps can accomplish when we set ourselves to it."

Ben and several of the Nova officers started to nod in approval of Rhomann's words.

"Cause that's who we are. Defenders. Protectors. That's the job we signed on for. And if there's any doubt in your mind, or any fear in your heart . . . . think about how the civilians must feel. We have weapons. Training. Equipment. They have nothing. Nothing but hope . . . . hope that we can get them out of this."

Rhomann then turned to Myla.

"You said you were newly married, isn't that right, Officer?"

Myla nodded.

"His name's P'Tol," she said, stammering out her words. "He, uh . . . . he's Rigellian. He . . . . heh. He's a finance analyst. Never held a gun in his life."

Susan blinked a couple times. She felt her heart sink in her chest as she listened to Myla speak about her husband.

"Those are the people we're doing this for," said Rhomann, turning back to the table. "Think about them. The ones who can't fight back. The ones you care about most. Friends. Family. Loved ones. Think about what would happen to them if we fail."

Rhomann paused for a moment.

"Prep your gear. We're moving out at midday."

* * *

"Report!"

The Mekkan officer turned away from his console to look at the command chair. Morrat was sitting there, slumped forward in his seat. His right hand was leaning against the armrest, his fingers repeatedly clicking against the end of the material. Morrat met the Mekkan officer's gaze.

"General. It appears that the Nova Corps have mobilized as anticipated."

Sitting back upright, Morrat then held his hands together, touching the tips of his fingers from both hands.

"Is that so?"

"Indeed. Even they cannot mask this many energy signatures at once. They've pooled themselves into a large armada, and are heading straight for the Mekkan base. They'll be in combat range in just under fifteen minutes."

Morrat broke into a loud laugh, his synthesized cackle eerily reverberating all throughout the room.

"Centurion Torthar's little underlings have taken the bait. They've no idea that they've sealed their own fate. What a pity. Denarian Dey is about to make his final stand."

Morrat continued to laugh as the blips representing the Nova Corps' forces on the hologram screen moved closer to the Mekkan base.

* * *

"Approaching the target," said Myla. "Two minutes out."

Hundreds of Nova Corps fighters, which had been pooled together from scattered outposts all over the planet, lined up in formation as they raced over the jungles of Rigellia. While the people piloting the starfighters varied when it came to gender or species, they all had one common goal: to do everything they could to save this planet.

Rhomann's fighter was at the very front of the pack, leading the charge as the rest of them fell into an angled formation behind him. The _Venture_ was right behind Rhomann's fighter, Johnny was flying to his right, and Susan was soaring on a force field disc to his left. Reed was inside the _Venture_ , piloting the ship with Herbie floating next to him.

Meanwhile, Ben was sitting in the back of the ship, huddled behind the back seats. Herbie turned around to look at him.

"Are you quite sure about this, Benjamin?" asked Herbie.

"Yeah, Herbs. Sure as I ever been. Always gotta kick outta stunts like this."

"I can see the target," said Rhomann.

The Mekkan base came into view. It was a blue and silver mechanical construction, shaped like a circular pyramid. Numerous turrets were placed around it, as well as ground forces consisting of tanks and foot soldiers. While a majority of the defenders were Mekkan, there were also many Skrulls amongst them.

Turning his head to the right, Rhomann could also see Arima further away, on the distant horizon. Thousands of lasers were flying back and forth between the attackers and the defenders, with the biggest defense cannons still lobbing golden artillery shots on the offensive line. One of them struck the Pariah that was leading the attack, causing it to stagger and take several steps back.

When he saw the seemingly unstoppable war machine forced back, he felt a rush of adrenaline shoot through his chest.

He knew, in that moment, that there was a chance they could win.

His resolve doubled, Rhomann faced forward and clutched his triggers even tighter.

"Nova Corps! Prepare to fire on my mark."

"There's my cue," said Ben. "Hey Stretch!"

Reed looked over his shoulder.

"This'll make a great story one day, right?"

"Long as you live to tell it," said Reed, with a smirk.

"Eh. Always the sourpuss."

Ben then pressed a button on the ship's side. The top cover of the _Venture_ opened up, and Ben put one leg on the edge.

"Them Skrulls better all have updated their wills . . . . cause it's CLOBBERIN' TIME!"

Ben jumped out of the ship, holding both of his fists high into the air. Reed quickly closed the ship's cover and pressed his hand to his right ear.

"Rhomann! Ben is airborne!"

"You heard him, Nova Corps!" shouted Rhomann. "Open fire!"

"Open fire?" said Johnny. "That's my kinda talk!"

The Nova starfighters did as commanded, firing golden lasers directly at the base. The base's defense turrets started returning fire. As this happened, Susan held her arms out wide, creating a thin barrier that provided a shield to dozens of ships. Once she absorbed the turret blasts, she let the barrier dissipate, and the starfighters pressed the attack.

Falling to the ground, Ben roared as he landed right on top of a Mekkan tank. Swinging his fists downward, he flattened the vehicle with the force of his punches as well as the weight of his landing. The nearby foot soldiers immediately trained their weapons on him, but their laser shots had little effect on his impenetrable skin.

Ben chuckled as dozens of lasers struck his body.

"Heh, heh. Tickles! You'll have to try harder than that!"

Seemingly in response, one of the Mekkans aimed and fired his rocket launcher, blowing Ben off of the tank and sending him crashing to the ground. Grunting, he quickly stood back up.

"Now that's more like it!"

As Ben continued to battle the forces on the ground, Johnny weaved his way through a hail of laser fire as he closed in on the turrets. Emitting fire streams from both hands, Johnny quickly started to melt the cannon of one of the turrets. The slag metal then broke off and scraped down the side of the base, searing the outer plating.

Johnny laughed and pointed at some of the Skrulls that were standing on one of the base's nearby balconies.

"Ha, ha! Totally messed your base's paint job! Yeah!"

The Skrulls aimed their rifles at him.

"Shoot him!"

Johnny ducked and moved side to side to dodge the laser shots.

"Hey! What did I ever do to you?!"

The remaining turrets focused their fire on the attacking aerial units. The Nova fighters launched salvos of missiles and shots at the base, only to be repelled by the base's shielding. As the first wave of fighters flew over the base and turned around so they could make another pass, a handful of them were shot down.

"I'm hit!" yelled one of the Nova pilots.

The smoking fighter smashed into the ground, causing an explosion. Rhomann cringed and shook his head. While some of the fighters stayed in the air, others transformed into ball forms, known as their divebomb mode. The pilots ejected with jet packs strapped to their backs, and allowed the fighters to rocket directly towards the base.

Several of the fighters exploded as they collided with the base's shields, causing damage to the kinetic barrier systems. The ejected pilots then soared to the ground, using their wrist gauntlets to fire golden energy bolts at the foot soldiers.

Inside the _Venture_ , Reed looked over at Herbie.

"Ready to take control, Herbie?"

"Absolutely, Doctor Richards!"

Herbie bobbed up and down as Reed let go of the controls. Herbie's systems, which were integrated into the ship, then took over automatic flight control. Opening the cover hatch, Reed then leaped out, stretching out his torso so as to slow his descent as he glided to the ground. As he got closer, he stretched out his arms and took hold of a Skrull soldier from behind, flipping him over his head as he landed.

Some more Mekkan tanks fired blue blasts into the air, trying to shoot down the Nova fighters. The organized ranks of the starfighters broke into scrambled messes of random flight patterns as they tried desperately to avoid the barrage. Seeing that one of the fighters was about to be hit, Susan quickly formed a barrier shield around it, absorbing a tank shot.

Letting go of the barrier, Susan then flew downward, creating a disc shield in front of her. Blitzing forward, Susan smashed her way through a full line of Mekkan and Skrull soldiers, knocking them all to the ground. Ben, who was at that moment smashing the heads of two Skrull soldiers together, looked at Susan in dismay.

"Suzie! You're gonna ruin my high score!"

Susan chuckled in response as she formed a barrier around a Mekkan tank right before it fired. The cannon's blast doubled back on itself, causing the tank to self-destruct. Reed slithered his way along the ground, weaving himself between the legs of several soldiers before rising upwards, tripping them all up.

Standing near Ben, Reed then stretched out his left hand to punch a Skrull soldier in the face. Using his right hand, he ripped the rifle out of a Mekkan's hands as Ben swung downward with a hammerfist, smashing the Mekkan apart. As the two friends fought back to back, Ben heartily laughed.

"Just like a good old Yancy Street brawl!"

"I don't recall ever being part of any of those brawls, Ben."

"Well, then you ain't lived, Stretch!"

* * *

"General. Come quickly."

Morrat sneered as he stood out of his chair and marched up to the Mekkan officer.

"What is it?!"

"Some unpredicted variables have arisen in the battle for the Mekkan base."

The officer tapped a button on his console, and a video display appeared showing an aerial view of the fight. Morrat narrowed both his biological and mechanical eyes as he held his hands behind his back, surveying as much of the video feed as he could.

"The Nova fighters are deliberately ramming the base to try and disable the kinetic barriers," said Morrat. "Interesting."

"There is another complication," said the officer.

The video changed to another view, showing the Fantastic Four working together during the fight. Reed and Ben were on the ground, battling foot soldiers. Johnny and Susan were flying around them, providing aerial support with fire blasts and force fields. Morrat felt his anger rising as he saw them make short work of a whole squad of soldiers.

The Mekkan officer held his hands together as Morrat pointed at the screen.

"Who are they?"

"Unknown, General. They do not appear to be of any particular Nova Corps species. As well, their abilities are uncanny. I have never witnessed anything of the sort."

"I have."

"What?"

"I'd hoped to draw the battle out longer to whittle down their forces," said Morrat. "But things have changed. Send us down. Now."

"As you say, General."

Morrat turned around and sat down in his chair, folding his hands together.

"And send a message to the Queen," he ordered. "Tell her that I am officially requesting her presence. She'll want to see this."

* * *

Johnny tossed another flame blast at the ground, knocking out two more Skrull soldiers who had been attacking one of the female Krylorian Nova soldiers. As she looked up at him, he winked and snapped his fingers at her.

"So, what are you doing after this?"

The woman raised an eyebrow at him.

"JOHNNY!"

Johnny rolled his eyes upon hearing his sister's yell. He then once again smiled at the woman.

"Talk to you after."

Boosting off, Johnny returned to his team, who were continuing to push against the defensive line. Myla and a squad of Nova fighters dropped a salvo of missiles on the Skrull and Mekkan forces, blowing apart some and forcing the rest back. Susan quickly formed a barrier around her and the nearby Nova ground troops to shield them from the missile explosions.

Letting the barrier fade, the Fantastic Four and the Nova ground troops charged forward, quickly breaking through the weakened defensive line. Holding his fist back, Ben then threw a haymaker punch at another tank, easily cracking it in half and scrunching up the metal he connected with.

Flying overhead, Rhomann and some of the other fighters continued to fire blasts at the Mekkan base, but the shields were still holding.

"Richards!"

Reed spun his arms around as he answered, smacking away two Skrull soldiers.

"I'm here, Rhomann."

"We've weakened the base's shields, but they're still holding. Your team have anything that could break through?"

Reed looked at Ben, but then quickly turned his head around to look at Susan.

"I think so. Susan!"

Covering another Nova squad with a momentary barrier, Susan then turned to look at Reed, who beckoned her over. She flew next to him.

"We need someone to get through the base's shields. Up for it?"

Susan looked at the base and slowly nodded. She then punched her fists together and gave a confident chuckle.

"Think I got a good idea. Been hoping to try this."

Holding her hands out, Susan formed a spherical barrier around herself, suspending herself in the air. Closing her eyes, she then focused all of her energy into making the barrier as thick as possible, reinforcing it. Putting on her game face, Susan then shouted as she boosted forward, turning herself into a missile.

As her barrier collided with the shields, an electrical ripple tore across the base's entire exterior. The shields were completely overloaded by the force of the impact, but it didn't stop there. She tore right through the exterior wall with such force that multiple sections of the base started to break apart, the internal mechanisms ripped apart from the inside.

Several fires sprung up as Susan stopped, pulling herself back. The Skrulls and Mekkans started to retreat away from her due to the amount of damage she had caused. Letting the spherical barrier dissipate and returning to her regular force field disc, Susan then turned around and smiled as she put her hands on her hips.

"How'd I do?"

Johnny threw his fists into the air.

"Woohoo! Damn, sis! Guess your powers don't suck after all!"

Ben scratched the side of his head.

"Suzie's a better battering ram than yours truly. It's humiliatin'!"

Reed looked at Susan with a wide smile, and she finally saw the spark in his eye that she had been waiting for.

"Susan . . . . that was amazing."

Susan's heart fluttered.

"Thanks."

Rhomann's voice then came in over their earpieces.

"Nice work, now, we just have to . . . ."

Myla's voice interrupted him.

"PARIAH!"

Everyone turned around and looked up in horror as a Pariah fell out of orbit, landing right behind them. The sound of impact deafened everyone for a moment, and a wave of dust emanated from the cracks that it caused in the soil. Standing up, the Pariah then sounded its horn before charging up its main laser.

"EVERYONE RUN!" shouted Rhomann.

The Nova fighters started shooting at the Pariah as the Nova ground troops fled towards the Mekkan base. The remaining defenders and turrets, rallying around the Pariah's arrival, started to fire at their enemies, cutting down many in the confusion. The Pariah then fired into the sky, its sustained laser blast swiping through the air and slicing apart several of the fighters.

The last fighter to get hit was Rhomann's.

"Agh!"

Myla, whose fighter managed to dodge the laser, yelled as she saw Rhomann's fighter start to fall to the ground.

"Rhomann!"

Rhomann's fighter, still relatively intact because the laser had only grazed its wing, smashed into the ground near the Fantastic Four. Reed immediately stretched over to the downed fighter, grabbing at the cover with both hands. He tried to pry open the cover hatch, to no avail. Ben then rushed over.

"Lemme!"

Ben punched the cover, smashing right through it. Grabbing the crumpled metal with both hands, he tore it off to see Rhomann inside, coughing. Reed quickly stretched his arms to undo his seat harness and pull him out. Johnny and Susan joined them, only to look up as the Pariah started to fire its laser into the crowd of fleeing Nova troops, incinerating dozens of them in one attack.

Rhomann's eyes seemed to glaze over as he stared at the Pariah.

"Rhomann?" said Reed. "Rhomann!"

Blinking, Rhomann then pressed his hand to his ear.

"Myla!"

"Sir?"

"Get the fighters out of here! All of them!"

"But sir . . . ."

"NOW!"

Frowning and shaking her head, Myla then opened up her communications channel. Her voice was empty, and she almost choked as she forced out her words.

"All remaining Nova pilots, this is Corpsman Myla. Denarian Dey just gave the retreat order. Form on me and disengage."

The order given, the remaining Nova fighters all flew away from the Pariah, heading back towards the jungle. The Pariah then turned back to the ground forces, and prepared to fire another laser. Reed gulped.

"Susan!"

Susan formed a barrier around the five of them. The Pariah fired, sweeping its laser across the ground and towards the barrier. As it struck the force field, Susan screamed in pain, louder than she ever had. After a moment, the barrier exploded, and the resounding cracking sound was so powerful that it knocked all five people to the ground.

The Pariah stopped firing, taking a couple steps towards them. Reed reached for Susan, but found that she was completely unconscious. Johnny's flame had been put out, and Ben was crumpled on the ground, his muscles to weak to move. Only Reed could look up in fear as the Pariah continued to march towards them.


	7. Herbie's Quest

Earth-717: Fantastic Four Vol 2

Chapter 7: Herbie's Quest

There are many emotions that a person can feel in response to something that happens. The mysteries of the heart and how it weighs on a person's soul, how it selects what to feel at any given time, have confused many ever since the dawn of sentience. But quite possibly the simplest, most predictable and easiest to understand of emotions, that which is the typical response when something occurs exactly as expected, was what was moving through Morrat's heart at that moment.

As Reed, Johnny, Ben and Rhomann were led into his command room by Skrull guards, Morrat snidely chuckled with satisfaction.

"Ah, Denarian Dey."

Morrat took a step towards his prisoners, holding his metallic hand over his chest in a regal manner. Rhomann scowled at him.

"How good of you to accept my invitation."

Rhomann maintained his glare at Morrat, but did not speak.

"It's natural to feel angry, Denarian. You have been bested. Imagine how disappointed Centurion Torthar would be if he could see you now."

Rhomann yelled and motioned as if to punch Morrat, but the Skrull guards were too fast. Two of them jammed their stun batons against Rhomann's back.

"Agh!"

Rhomann fell to his knees in pain. Ben leaned in towards Reed.

"Come on, Reed. We can clobber this clown," whispered Ben.

"Not without knowing where Susan is."

Rhomann panted a couple times before one of the Skrulls forced him to stand up again. Morrat scratched his face plate with one of his metallic fingers. At that, Johnny cringed.

"Your pitiful tactical display did not impress me, Denarian. You were so easily outmatched that I could have allowed my . . . ."

"Hey, ugly!"

Morrat blinked and turned to look at Johnny.

"What happened to your face? Like, really. You should get that checked out."

"Johnny, I really don't . . . ."

"Can it, firefly!"

"I'm just saying," said Johnny. "Won't win any beauty contests with that mug."

Morrat stepped up to Johnny and regarded him for a moment. He then punched him in the face with his metallic hand with such speed that Johnny didn't have time to react. The unconscious youth slumped down on the floor. Ben growled as he clenched his fists.

"That's it, ya lousy, metal-faced creep! Figure you can't eat lunch without a mouth, so how about I just give you a good old knuckle sandwich, Brooklyn style?!"

Ben lunged forward, and the Skrull guards attacked him with their stun batons. Morrat did not flinch as Ben shrugged off the energy attacks. Reed then stretched his arms around Ben's elbows, struggling to hold back his enraged friend.

"Ben, stop!"

"Lemme go! He decked the kid! He killed all them Nova Corps guys! Why are you defending this bum?!"

"Because of Susan!"

Ben stopped struggling, and Reed slowly started to unravel his limbs.

"Or did you not think of her?"

"Suzie . . . ."

Ben took a couple deep breaths before stepping back in line. Morrat's mechanical chortling caused Rhomann to wince.

"A wise decision, holding back your friend," said Morrat. "I surmise that you are the intelligent one amongst this group. And who are you?"

"Reed Richards, of the Fantastic Four."

Morrat chortled again.

"Fantastic, indeed."

"I take it you're General Morrat?"

"I am. And while I would much relish the joys of interrogating you myself, I have been given instructions by my Queen to take you prisoners directly to her. Just remember, Reed Richards . . . ."

Morrat pointed at Reed.

"I have the woman. Do not try anything . . . . clever."

"General."

Morrat turned around to look at the Mekkan officer.

"The Queen's personal flagship is approaching."

"Ah. Right on schedule."

At that moment, a new ship approached the Pariah, visible through the digital view-screen, and it was unlike any vessel that any of them had ever seen. It was four kilometres in length, easily dwarfing the Pariah that looked so enormous just a few moments ago. It was a massive purple and gold warship, and the largest ship ever constructed in this galaxy.

This was the _Exile's Intent_.

Reed, Ben and Rhomann all stared at the ship in complete awe.

"All crew," said Morrat. "Prepare to dock."

* * *

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. This will not do at all."

Herbie's body bounced around the inside of the _Venture_ , despite his systems being directly integrated into the ship. Moving his body around didn't exactly accomplish anything, but he found himself doing so anyway. The _Venture_ was flying after the Pariah, where the Skrulls had taken the Fantastic Four and Rhomann.

The energy signature masking program that the Nova Corps had installed on the ship was still operational, so the Pariah was unaware of Herbie's presence. Still, something just as important had been damaged, and so Herbie had assigned his Repair-Bots to try and fix it. Filtering out of the tube port, the four Repair-Bots flew up to Herbie's body.

"Well? Someone tell me something."

Bot Two turned to Bot Three and gave it a quick zap with its tool. Bot Three smashed its body against Bot Two in retaliation. Bot One quivered and hid behind its companions. Finally, Bot Four moved forward, and transmitted a series of blips and beeps that Herbie understood.

"What do you mean, you can't fix the communicator?!"

Bot Four explained the situation as Bot Two and Bot Three continued to fight.

"Irreparably damaged?! Oh, no! Without that, we have no means of contacting Doctor Richards! This is quite the predicament."

Bot One flew away from Bot Two in terror as it tried to slash at Bot Three, who dodged the clumsy attack.

"Bot Two! Bot Three! Stand down! Enough of that! And Bot One, get back here!"

Bot One complied and flew back in line. Bot Two and Bot Three stared at each other for a moment before also falling back in formation. Herbie then shook his head side to side.

"Oh, we must think of something to assist Doctor Richards and the rest of the team! Without our help, who knows what might happen?!"

Bot Three asked Bot Four a question. Bot Four then answered it. Bot Two made a snide remark, to which Bot Three responded with some chastising. Bot One stayed silent, seemingly afraid. Bot Two then made a real suggestion to the other Bots, which was followed by Bot Four speaking to Herbie.

"Well I already knew the tracking devices were still working, but that's hardly . . . ."

Bot Three then clarified Bot Four's statement.

"Ah, I see! Use the _Venture_ 's magnetic panels to lock onto the Pariah's hull, where we can then breach the ship and locate the team with the tracking devices! A splendid plan!"

Bot Two nodded, bragging that it was all his idea. Bot Three angrily told him that it was a group effort. Bot One flew behind Bot Four, who tried to calm everyone down.

"Sometimes you four are just impossible," said Herbie. "Can we please focus on actually enacting the plan, and not just fighting over whose idea it was?"

The _Venture_ boosted towards the Pariah as they flew through space. It was at that moment that Herbie then saw that the Pariah was docking alongside the _Exile's Intent_.

"Oh my! What manner of vessel is that?! It's simply uncanny!"

Bot Three then mentioned something to Herbie.

"What? The tracking signals indicate that the Fantastic Four are being moved onto that ship?! Whatever shall we do?!"

Bot Three then pointed out that they could just adapt the plan so that they attached themselves to the _Exile's Intent_ instead of the Pariah.

"Ah, an excellent point, Bot Three."

Herbie then redirected the flight course so that they would magnetically attach themselves to the _Exile's Intent_. He purposefully chose a location far enough away from where the Pariah was so as to minimize the chances of being detected. Aligning the bottom of the _Venture_ with the hull of the larger ship, Herbie then activated the magnetic panels, latching on.

"Don't you worry, Doctor Richards. The Repair-Bots and I are coming to rescue you!"

* * *

Hunched over and his hands again behind his back, Morrat strolled into a conference room aboard the _Exile's Intent_. He was followed by Reed, Ben, Rhomann and the Skrull guards. There was a circular holographic display similar to the one Rhomann used on Rigellia, except much larger and more sophisticated. It was showing a series of hard-light hologram images of multiple space battles.

Veranke was standing in the room alongside a couple of other officials. Her presence immediately caught everyone's attention. She was wearing a colourful and exorbitant ceremonial gown, covered in a heavily regal and stylized pattern consisting of reds, golds and purples. Her flowing black hair reached halfway down her back, perfectly framing her form.

A gold headband was secure around her hairline, studded with numerous scarlet jewels. Everything she was wearing accentuated her pristine emerald skin, which made her beautifully sculpted face all the more striking. Every piece of her outfit and appearance had been meticulously groomed and chosen, so as to portray nothing but her absolute regal status.

Nobody could have mistaken her for anything but a queen.

Upon seeing Morrat enter the room, Veranke dismissed the officials with a simple hand gesture. She then sauntered over to Morrat, with a devilish smirk on her face. Morrat gave a respectful one-armed bow as she approached him.

"My Queen."

"General."

Veranke held out her right hand, and Morrat gently took it with his own for a brief moment. After parting hands, Morrat then looked up into Veranke's eyes.

"You've done well. I was quite pleased upon hearing that the Rigellian rebellion had been crushed. Not that I doubted the outcome for a moment."

As Veranke spoke, Reed found his eyes drawn to her necklace. Affixed around her neck was a cord that culminated in a single malachite jewel, glowing in a manner that was paradoxical; it was somehow simultaneously subdued but also unerringly like a supernova. Reed was unable to rationalize how this was possible in his mind.

Before he could ponder the matter further, Veranke spoke to him, snapping him out of his thoughtful trance.

"Reed Richards."

Reed only now realized that the Skrull Queen was standing a mere metre away from him.

"Such a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Doctor Richards. I have to say, I've heard quite a bit about you."

"How?" asked Reed. "Morrat doesn't know that much about me."

"You're right. He doesn't."

"Then who told you about me?"

Veranke answered with a calculated chuckle. A couple timid beads of sweat started to trickle down Reed's spine. He couldn't help but feel as if Veranke was deliberately toying with him, relishing in the knowledge that she possessed all of the power in this encounter.

"One day, you'll find out," said Veranke.

Veranke then made a swiping motion with her palm.

"Take Doctor Richards and the Denarian to the holding cells. No abuse. Just make sure they stay in line by keeping Reed's dear miss Susan Storm in stasis."

The guards approached the two prisoners from behind.

"I never said Susan's full name to any Skrull. How do you know us?"

"You and Ben have been friends for a long time. You've known Susan and Jonathan since they were children, and precious little Susan has been in love with you since you two first met. You've been working on your spacecraft project for the last ten years, and your greatest regret in life is that you never truly had the biological family that you've now replaced with your surrogate one."

Veranke grinned before she asked her piercing question.

"How am I doing?"

Ben grumbled.

"So what? Ya went ahead and Googled us. Big deal!"

"I'll get to you in a moment, Benjamin," said Veranke. "Now, take them away. And remember, Richards . . . . I have your girlfriend. It really is such a shame you never got to make up for that awful dinner date."

Reed and Rhomann both looked at each other in fear as the guards ushered them out of the room. Veranke then turned around to look at Morrat.

"General. Go back to your Pariah and await further instructions. The other members of the Military Command will contact you shortly."

Morrat gave another bow before marching out of the room. Now, Veranke and Ben were alone. For his part, Ben was genuinely surprised that Veranke was willing to be alone with him. Seemingly without any doubt that she was in absolute mastery of the situation, she turned off the hologram table and walked away, gesturing for him to follow.

He hesitated for only a moment before walking after her. He wanted nothing more than to throw her across the room, but there were several things that kept him from doing so, and both he and Veranke knew what they were. They maintained an unspoken contract between them, one that forced Ben to comply with her demands.

At least for now.

* * *

Herbie floated into a ventilation shaft, followed by the four Repair-Bots. Finally reaching a circular port, Herbie turned to the Repair-Bots and motioned towards the port. Bot Two complied, floating up to the port and equipping one of his tools.

Heating the tool until it glowed bright orange, Bot Two then jammed it against the circular port, effortlessly slicing through the metal. Carving out the port in a perfect circle, Bot Two then used a tiny magnet tool to keep the now severed piece of metal from clanging down on the ground. Instead, Bot Two gently deposited it inside the ventilation shaft.

"Nice work," said Herbie.

Bot Two replied by saying that he always does nice work. Herbie then looked out the open port, seeing that the room it led to was filled with over a dozen lines of computer terminals. Only a couple Skrulls were inside, both of them sitting at the far end and poring over data on their monitors. Herbie equipped his scanning module and performed a quick scan of the room to ensure that there were no surprise surveillance tools or other traps that might impede them.

Noting that the coast was clear, Herbie and the Repair-Bots silently floated into the room, hiding between two of the lines of terminals. Quivering, Bot One accidentally backed into one of the terminals, causing a soft clang to be heard. Herbie and the other Repair-Bots looked at Bot One with shock.

"Huh?"

One of the Skrulls looked up upon hearing the clang. His companion turned to him.

"What?"

"Thought I heard something. Wait here."

The Skrull started walking over to where he had heard the noise. Within a few seconds, he had arrived at the terminal line, but he didn't see anything. Scratching the side of his head for a moment, he then shrugged.

"Eh. Gotta do less of these double shifts. They're gonna kill me."

The Skrull turned back and returned to his post. Once he was gone, Herbie deactivated his invisibility matrix, rendering himself and the four Repair-Bots visible again.

"That was far too close. It's quite the stroke of luck that ROB shared his designs for his invisibility matrix with me while he was visiting. Now, let's see what we can learn about these Skrulls."

Herbie turned to one of the terminals and equipped his interface module. Plugging himself into the terminal, he started to download all of the data he could: ship schematics, personnel records, data on all aspects of the Skrull Empire. Everything that was in the main databanks of the _Exile's Intent_ was Herbie's for the taking.

Once he was done, he unplugged himself from the terminal and turned back to the Repair-Bots.

"I have the data. Quite a fascinating read, really. Information about Skrull religion, military doctrine, galactic politics, Infinity Gems . . . ."

Bot Four asked where Reed and the rest of the team were.

"Ah. You are quite right, Bot Four. We need to get back to the mission. Follow me!"

* * *

"AGH!"

Johnny cringed in pain as another attempt to launch a fireball at the wall of his cell caused an internal feedback circuit to lash out at him with energy. His body smoking and on the floor, he found himself completely drained of stamina, no longer able to conjure up even the smallest of flames.

"Give it a rest, Johnny."

Reed, who was in the cell next to Johnny's, was curled up with his back to the wall. His eyes were sullen, and his arms were folded over his chest.

"You need to conserve your strength."

"For what?! Not like you're doing anything helpful!"

"Johnny . . . ."

"Smartest guy in the world, and all you're doing is moping! Real genius there, Doc!"

Reed didn't bother to offer a retort. He knew that there was nothing he could say to refute the accusations being hurled at him by the fiery youth. He had, in fact, given up, at least in this moment. While every ounce of his brain power had been focused on trying to envision a way to break out of his confines, one thing had been stopping him from moving a muscle all this time.

Susan.

Out of the transparent cell wall that led to the hallway of the cell block, Reed could see Susan in the cell opposite him. Her arms and legs were limp, her torso facing the ceiling, and her eyes were closed. She was being suspended inside of a white energy field generated by a silver, circular apparatus.

She was helpless, and thus, so was he.

Reed did not know where Rhomann was exactly, but he figured that he must be somewhere else in the detention centre. At that moment, he heard a voice come from the cell next to his, on the wall opposite the one where Johnny was. He had hoped that if anyone spoke to him, it would be Rhomann. But instead, it was the voice of a woman.

"You are the humans, yes?"

Intrigued, Reed slid along the floor and pressed himself against the wall where the voice had come from.

"Yes. Yes we are."

"I heard about you. The guards . . . . they were talking about a group of humans who were fighting alongside the Nova Corps. Ones with some kind of powers . . . . the kind that Kl'rt has."

"Kl'rt? What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"I am the ruler of the Skrull Empire," replied the voice. "Or, at least, I'm supposed to be. My name is Princess Anelle, and I was the heir to the throne before my sister took it from me."

Reed moved back slightly, utterly shocked by what he had just heard.

"Veranke's your sister?"

"Yes. She wasn't always like this. She was a member of the clergy. She was my best friend. She was a good person once. Someone I loved."

Anelle paused for a few moments before resuming her story.

"Then it all changed. She became obsessed with prophecies. She killed my father and stole the throne. She said it was her destiny. After all this time, I'm starting to believe her."

"Can you help us?"

Anelle was silent.

"Anelle, please. We need to get out of here. She's going to destroy everyone, everything, if we don't stop her."

"You can't stop her. Not while she has the Infinity Gem around her neck."

The green gem appeared in Reed's mind.

"What is it?" asked Reed.

"Absolute power," answered Anelle.

Before Reed could make further enquiries, he heard another voice, and one that he wasn't sure he would ever hear again.

"Doctor Richards?"

Reed turned to the side to see Herbie and the Repair-Bots floating just outside his cell. Herbie gave a quick wave.

"Herbie?! What are you doing here?"

"Why, we're here to rescue you!"


	8. Veranke

Earth-717: Fantastic Four Vol 2

Chapter 8: Veranke

The observation area of the _Exile's Intent_ provided a pristine place from which to see into the majesty of the universe. The room was comprised of a domed area, half of it formed of a silver metallic room, the other half made of a transparent polymer with an extremely faint hexagon pattern etched into it. The inside of the room was furnished with numerous plants and floral arrangements, none of which Ben could identify.

For all the beauty of the place, Veranke did not stop to look at any of it. Rather, she slowly made her way to the polymer side of the room, stopping mere inches away from the material. Her hands at her sides, she quietly stared out into space. Ben watched her from behind. Her body was completely surrounded by thousands upon thousands of stars.

It was as if all the eyes of the universe were upon her.

Veranke made no gesture indicating that she wanted Ben to approach her. He decided to on his own, stepping up to her right side. He looked out at the stars with her, unsure of how to break the silence. He chose not to. For quite some time, the two perused the star-ways together, complacent just to be in each other's company.

Eventually, Ben looked at Veranke out of the corner of his eye. He didn't turn his head, or make any sound. He just watched her in his peripheral vision, noting every attribute of her visage. He took in every feature, finding it remarkable just how human she looked. Despite the pointed tips of her ears, the green hue of her skin, and the knowledge that she was an alien tyrant from another part of the galaxy, she still had a very familiar face.

One that showed a woman, full of the joy and sadness that all people possess.

Suddenly, as if compelled, Ben finally spoke.

"Alright, I'll bite."

Veranke blinked upon hearing his voice.

"What do you want with me?"

The faintest hint of a smile formed on Veranke's face, but neither person turned to the other. They kept their eyes focused on the cosmos.

"Look at those stars," she said. "Windows to other times. Other worlds. Places we could never even conceive as existing. It's truly beautiful."

Ben shrugged.

"Well, yeah, sure. View's nice, I guess. But what about . . . ."

"You're wondering why I pulled you aside."

Ben nodded.

"You're also wondering why you're going along with it."

Ben shifted his jaw slightly as he thought about what Veranke was implying. He folded his arms over his chest as he waited for her to continue.

"You hesitate, but your thoughts are quite clear," she said. "You have never encountered anyone who has failed to react to your appearance upon a first meeting. Until now."

"How do ya . . . ."

"I know who you are, Benjamin Grimm. Just as I know about your companions, about your homeworld, and about a great many things in this galaxy. I . . . . know things. It comes with being who I am."

"And who are you?"

Veranke paused for a moment before she launched into a story.

"Would you believe that I was once a penniless orphan?"

"Huh?"

"A starving child scrounging for scraps in the streets. Alone. Abandoned. No more significant than the dust beneath one's shoes. I never knew my father. I barely remember my mother. The whole start of my life, as far as I can recall, was desperation. Fear. I was left to die before I ever lived. I remember the words that my mother once said to me. Words I'll never forget."

"What were they?"

"Stay on your side. The light is not for people like us. It's for people like them. Stay on your side, and you'll be safe."

Ben thought back to his own childhood. He thought of memories of his life as a boy, living in that tiny apartment on Yancy Street.

Time spent playing baseball whenever he could, usually in the junk-filled back alleys.

Time spent with his Aunt Petunia, since neither his mother or brother were ever around.

Time spent avoiding his father when there were too many empty bottles around the house.

"But one day, I was found. Plucked from that life by pure chance. Adopted into a family of royalty, where I slowly learned over the years that anyone's fortune can be changed. Even though I was always surrounded by people of far more consequence, I eventually became more important than all of them. I learned that anyone could start off from meagre means and be transformed into something greater. Far greater."

Ben remembered meeting Reed, and becoming close with the Storm family. Dinners with Mary Storm and her children, Susan and Johnny, who looked up to Ben as if he were one of their own. He remembered the fateful day when the four of them took a trip into space, where they were showered with cosmic rays that imbued them with incredible powers.

He remembered the horror in his heart upon realizing how his body had been turned into something unrecognizable. He remembered meeting Alicia for the first time, on that fateful day in front of her gallery. He remembered battling a gigantic subterranean creature, journeying to Latveria, and going toe to toe with the Hulk on the streets of Manhattan.

He remembered how much his life had changed.

"Now, I stand as the leader of the most powerful political and military force in the galaxy. Soon enough, I will complete my conquest, standing as master of the Nova Corps, the Kree, and all other sentient beings within my reach. I know that my victory is assured, because I have destiny on my side. So, to answer your question, Benjamin Grimm, of who I am . . . ."

Veranke finally turned her head to look at Ben.

"I am deliverance. I am destiny's Queen."

Ben coughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well . . . . that was dramatic. Yeah, okay, ya got some razzle dazzle, pampered princess, discount Joan of Arc backstory. That supposed to impress me or something?"

Veranke chuckled as she turned her body to face Ben.

"Humour. I heard that was one of your strong suits. Just like your . . . . strength."

"Alright, lady. Listen here. This is beyond weird. What do you mean, you heard? And how'd you know about Reed and his . . . . where you gettin' all this?"

"I don't truly believe that is your question, or your main concern. I can hear the hesitation in your voice. You're hiding behind something. Afraid of what you really want to know, what you really want to ask."

Ben gulped and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he was finally ready.

"Why ain't you afraid of me?"

Veranke smiled.

"There we are," she said. "I knew I could get that out of you, with a little coaxing. And it's true. I am not afraid of you."

Ben found himself both perplexed and transfixed. He could do nothing but wait until Veranke spoke again, her words his prison. He needed to know.

"In fact, you're the first person I've met with whom I truly feel I could connect. I know your history. I know how you've suffered, how you've yearned for something more. You hide behind your jokes, your colourful personality. Never allowing the broken man beneath to be in the light."

"You . . . . you don't know nuthin' about me."

"Is that right? Tell me . . . . how does it feel to wonder what would happen if the only woman who hasn't shunned you were ever to regain her sight?"

Ben's words were choked from his throat at the same time that his thoughts were frozen in place by Veranke's question. She then took a step forward, before holding up her left hand. Ever so slowly, she touched the tip of her index finger against Ben's chest, before slipping it down a few centimetres. Ben shuddered at the gesture, but he didn't step away.

Veranke pored over Ben's chest for a few moments before looking up into his eyes.

"I ask because I have my sight . . . . and yet here I am."

"W-What . . . . what are you tryna say?"

Veranke kept her finger tip pressed against Ben's skin as she answered his question.

"That I see you for what you are, and I'm not afraid of it."

Ben blinked and looked to the side. He was having difficulty processing what was happening at that moment. He tried to focus his thoughts on Alicia, but the only things in his heart were the pain and embarrassment he felt, even when he was with her. He finally spoke back to Veranke, his eyes still fixated on the window.

"Why?"

Veranke responded by opening her whole palm and resting it on the right side of his torso. He winced at her touch, but not out of pain. Rather, he was wincing because he was ashamed that he enjoyed the feeling. Shaking his head, he then returned Veranke's gaze, looking down at her.

"Why me?"

"Because you and I could understand each other."

"Don't you got any of, I dunno, your own kind who can take that job?"

Veranke stepped away from Ben. She then started to pace back and forth in front of him as she explained herself.

"One of my own kind is not what I desire. Any Skrull would gladly accept my hand if it was offered, but therein lies the problem. I could have any Skrull, but is it truly a choice on their part? No. As ruler of the galaxy, I want something more. Something truly extraordinary. I want someone who has no obligation to choose to stand at my side. I have heard much about you, and now that I've seen you in person, seen you in action, I know that you're the one I've been waiting for."

"Even with me lookin' like this?"

"Benjamin . . . ."

Lifting up her hand, Veranke placed it on his cheek, cupping the side of his jaw. Again he winced, sucking in a breath as her soft skin soothed his cragged cheek.

"Appearances mean nothing to me."

Veranke morphed herself, suddenly adopting the appearance of a Kree woman. She shifted again so that she looked like a Krylorian, and then a Shi'ar. Finally, she returned to her normal form before giving Ben a playful smirk.

"I, I don't . . . ."

Ben gulped again, unable to finish his sentence.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore. You don't have to worry about what others think of you, or if you'll ever be accepted. As my consort, you would be the idol of billions."

Veranke withdrew her hand, but kept her gaze locked on Ben's eyes.

"Stay with me."

"But what about my friends?"

For a few seconds, Veranke gazed out at the void, before turning back to look at Ben.

"Forsake your friends, and in exchange . . . . I offer you a galaxy."

* * *

"There we are!"

Herbie performed an aerial somersault as Bot Four finished hacking the panel that led to Rhomann's cell. He walked out to join Reed, Johnny and Anelle, who had all already been freed by Herbie and the Repair-Bots. Rhomann massaged his hands together as he looked at Anelle.

"Princess Anelle?! I thought you were dead."

"Most people do," she replied, looking at his uniform. "You are a Denarian?"

"Yes, ma'am. Rhomann Dey."

Rhomann then looked down both sides of the cell block.

"How do they not know we've escaped?"

Johnny snapped his finger and pointed at Herbie.

"Herb here's a real wiz," he said. "Turned off all the security stuff. No one can tell anything's even going on in here."

Johnny then leaned towards Anelle.

"So, a princess, huh?"

Anelle tilted her head slightly and raised an eyebrow as she looked at Johnny.

"Yes?"

"Well, how would you like to rule over . . . ."

"Johnny," said Reed. "Can we focus, please?"

Johnny rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah."

Reed then turned around to look at Herbie, who was interfacing with a console attached to the stasis apparatus that was holding Susan.

"How's it coming?"

"Just one more moment, Doctor Richards!"

The stasis field deactivated, and Susan fell out of it. Reed quickly stretched out his stomach to form a hammock that she landed in. After a couple seconds, she groaned and started to stir, and Reed stroked her hair.

"Susan? Susan?"

Johnny looked at her and frowned as she seemed to slip back into unconsciousness. He then created a small ball of fire in front of her face, which then exploded.

"SUZ!"

Susan's eyes snapped open, and a force field bubble formed around her body. The bubble then blasted outwards, knocking both Reed and Johnny to the floor. Once she realized what she was doing, Susan dissipated her field and landed on her feet. Reed shook his head at Johnny.

"What? Worked, didn't it?"

"What's, what's going on?" asked Susan, clutching her stomach. "Was I . . . ."

"In stasis," said Reed. "They were keeping you unconscious, so you couldn't use your powers. Likely they realized you were the most powerful of . . . ."

"Ugh!"

Susan placed both of her hands on her forehead as she clenched her teeth. Reed quickly stretched over to her, put his hands on her shoulders.

"Susan? What, what is it?"

Susan forced her words through her teeth.

"It . . . . wasn't . . . . s-stasis . . . ."

Clearing her throat and breathing heavily, Susan then shook off Reed's hands. He moved back with a look of fear on his face as Susan looked away from him.

"The whole time . . . . I felt . . . . pain . . . . ugh . . . ."

Susan gripped her head again.

"Horrible pain . . . . everywhere . . . . c-couldn't, couldn't move . . . ."

"Sue?" asked Johnny.

Susan ignored her brother before looking over at Anelle. Upon seeing her, Susan glared at her and held out her hand.

"YOU!"

Anelle gasped and stepped back in fear as Susan formed a circular force field around Anelle's neck. The force field then squeezed inwards, crushing her windpipe. Anelle grasped with both hands at the force field as Reed threw up his hands.

"Susan, NO!"

Susan didn't seem to hear him. Herbie and the Repair-Bots all cowered, shrinking away from Susan. Johnny seemed to be frozen in place, unable to process what he was seeing. Rhomann gestured as if to activate his wrist gauntlets.

"Susan!" yelled Reed. "She's with us! Stop! STOP!"

Still, Susan did not let go of her attack, her eyes filled with a blood lust the likes of which Reed had never seen. Not knowing what to do, Reed then suddenly sprung into action. He wrapped his body around all of Susan's limbs, entwining himself and locking her down. He then placed both of his hands over her face as she yelled.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

"I SAID STOP!"

Susan let go of the force field around Anelle's neck, allowing the Skrull princess to slide down the wall and collapse on the floor. Reed sighed with relief as Anelle gasped for breath. He then let go of Susan and retracted his limbs as Susan fell to her knees. Johnny crouched next to Anelle as she massaged her neck, which now had an extremely visible circular bruise. She looked like she had been cuffed by a chain around her throat.

Johnny then looked up at Susan, who was standing still and seemingly in a daze.

"The hell was that, Sue?!"

Susan turned her head to look from person to person, seeing that they all seemed to be terrified of her. Herbie couldn't even look her in the eye, and was shaking as the Repair-Bots all huddled behind him. She then turned to Reed, who was standing still, with his hands at his sides.

"It's alright," said Reed. "It's over now."

"No," said Susan. "No, it isn't. All that pain, all that agony, it was . . . . made worse by the images. Flashes. Visions. Veranke and her people crushing everyone in their path. No survivors. No mercy. Just . . . . death."

Susan then looked over at Anelle, who finally found the strength to stand back up.

"You were there," said Susan. "I thought you were . . . . you're not with her?"

"Not anymore," answered Anelle. "I am her sister but . . . . but any love I had for her is long dead. She and I are no longer family."

"Good, because she needs to die."

Reed seemed startled by Susan's words, but he did not speak.

"I don't mean to interrupt," started Rhomann, "but we've got to get out of here."

Reed turned to Herbie.

"Herbie! Do we have an escape plan?"

Herbie bounced up and down, seemingly have shaken off his earlier fear.

"Why, yes, yes, yes, we do! The _Venture_ is still attached to this ship! We can make it back, and I'll lead you there! Afterwards, we can look over all of the data that I downloaded from the ship's main computer systems!"

"Hey," said Johnny. "What about Ben?"

"Ben is in another area of the ship," said Herbie. "His tracking signal, cross-referenced with the downloaded ship schematics, indicate that he is currently in a place called the observation area. I do not believe that he is currently in distress, but I am unsure as to the exact specifics of his situation."

"Can't we just call him up?" asked Johnny. "Ask him? Using our ear thingies?"

Reed shook his head.

"And give away that we've escaped? No. If Ben reacts to us calling him, it might put him in danger. We need to use stealth. Susan, can you shield all of us? Put us inside of an invisibility screen and get us to Ben's location? We'll have to be silent, but if you can make us all invisible, we might have a chance of getting to Ben undetected."

"Uh, maybe. It, uh, it'll be a strain to shield everybody. I'm still kind of worn out, but . . . . but I think I can do it."

"You can?"

Susan nodded.

"I can do it."

"Alright," said Reed. "Then that's the plan."


	9. Behold, A Distant Star

Earth-717: Fantastic Four Vol 2

Chapter 9: Behold, A Distant Star

"What is your answer?"

Ben had spent several minutes thinking about the weight of the decision that was in front of him. Veranke had made her offer, and from then on had been silence. He had gone over every possibility in his mind, every emotion that was swirling through his heart. Now, the time had come for him to make his choice.

"You want me as your consort, right?"

"Yes."

"Cause of what I am, right?"

"Yes."

Ben sighed.

"That girl you mentioned . . . . Alicia. Been doin' a lot of thinkin' 'bout her lately. What's happened between us, if we could make it work. If she and I could really go back to the way things were, and try to make it right. For a while there, I thought I couldn't have what I wanted. Cause of what I am. Now, you're sayin' I can have it all, cause of what I am."

Veranke smiled as Ben finished his sentence.

"But the thing is . . . . you only see me for what I am."

Veranke's smile dissipated, and her lips parted slightly.

"Alicia . . . . she sees me for who I am."

Veranke gulped as a wave of disappointment washed over her face.

"And my friends? My family? I could never let 'em go. Doesn't matter if you're offerin' a galaxy. They're my people. No matter what."

Veranke scowled, clearly not impressed by having been spurned. For his part, Ben stared her down, not avoiding her glare. However, before she could respond, an alarm sounded on the ship, causing both her and Ben to look up. After a couple seconds, the door to the observation area opened, and a squad of Skrull soldiers rushed into the room.

"My Queen!"

"What's going on?" asked Veranke.

"Ma'am," said the head soldier. "There's been a security breach. We've detected some sort of spacecraft attached to the ship's hull."

"What kind of spacecraft?"

Ben slowly took a couple steps backward as Veranke spoke with the Skrull.

"Unknown. We only just noticed it during a maintenance sweep. Security Chief gave the order, said they're going to strip it off and destroy . . . ."

The Skrull was interrupted by the yelling of a woman, coming from the hall leading to the observation area.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH!"

Ben perked up upon recognizing the voice.

"Suzie?"

The door then exploded, and a couple of Skrull soldiers were blasted into the room by an unseen force. Out of the smoke emerged Susan, who was floating a few centimetres off the ground on a force field disc. The standing Skrull soldiers opened fire with their energy rifles, but Susan immediately formed a shield in front of herself, rendering the shots harmless.

After several seconds of blocking the laser shots, Susan then threw the shield forward. The force of the impact delivered a crushing blow to the soldiers, flattening them all against the floor. Ben blinked and took a step back as Susan then stared directly at Veranke.

"Veranke," said Susan, her tone surprising Ben with its malice. "Finally."

Johnny then flew into the room in his flame form, followed by Reed, Rhomann and Anelle.

"We're here," said Rhomann. "Now it's time to finish this."

"Hey, look!" shouted Johnny. "We found everyone's favourite rockslide!"

Reed looked at the Infinity Gem around Veranke's neck before turning his gaze to Susan, who was clenching her fists.

"Susan, wait!"

"I can end this right now," she said. "I can take her."

"Wait, we don't know what we're dealing with!"

"I do."

Susan then yelled as she boosted forward on her force field disc. Veranke didn't even flinch, staying absolutely still as Susan charged towards her. A couple metres away from Veranke, Susan shrieked in pain as a force field implosion blasted her backwards. Her head smacked against the floor, seemingly knocking her out.

Reed, Johnny and Ben all shouted out simultaneously.

"SUSAN!"

Veranke let out a heinous laugh as a Skrull materialized in front of her. He was wearing a bodysuit that was coloured black and dull pink. Both of his fists were ablaze, and seemed to be formed of an organic, rock-like substance. Ben looked at him, utterly confused.

"Who the hell are . . . ."

Kl'rt cut Ben off by stretching out both of his arms and wrapping them around Ben's shoulders. Yelling and pulling upwards, he flung Ben into the air, sending him towards Reed and the rest. Reed reacted instantaneously, stretching out his body so as to create a cushion for Ben to land on, as well as a way of preventing him from crushing anyone else.

Kl'rt chuckled as Susan pushed herself off the ground.

"Sis! You okay?"

"Ugh, yeah . . . ."

Kl'rt stood at Veranke right side. A giant blue Mekkan then burst into the room from a back door, before boosting over with his shoulder jets and standing at her left.

"Torgo," said Veranke. "Nice of you to finally show up."

"My Queen."

Susan stood back up and took her place with the rest of her team. Ben looked over at the other three before punching his fists together.

"Took ya'll long enough to get out."

"Traffic sucked," replied Johnny. "But check it out, Benjy! We picked up a princess along the way!"

Veranke shook her head in shock as she suddenly realized that Anelle was standing with the Fantastic Four.

"Anelle?!"

"Veranke," said Anelle.

"Princess?" said Torgo.

"So," said Veranke. "I see you finally managed to talk someone into letting you out. I thought I didn't have to deal with you anymore."

"You'll have to do more than that," said Anelle. "I've made powerful new friends, dear sister."

Veranke cackled in response.

"Powerful?! They don't know the meaning of the word. More of my forces will be here soon, but even then, you're already outmatched."

Veranke reached out with her right hand, placing it on Kl'rt's left shoulder.

"I see you've finally become acquainted with Kl'rt, one of my finest warriors. He made a rather prudent arrangement in order to procure powers of his own. Interestingly enough, I believe you'll recognize them."

"Hey!" shouted Johnny. "He stole our shtick!"

"Our powers," said Reed. "He has our powers. How?!"

Veranke giggled, placing her left index finger close to her lips.

"That would be telling."

"It's official," said Johnny. "She's bonkers."

"As for you, Princess," said Veranke, "I think I'm done showing mercy towards you."

"You were my sister! We took you in! We were supposed to be family!"

"And we were. For a time. But once I learned my true purpose, I realized that you were nothing more than a tool. A useful stepping stone towards my ultimate destiny. I let you live out of misguided sympathy after I killed your father, but now? Now I think it's past time I finished the job."

Torgo quickly snapped his head to the side to look at Veranke.

"But, my Queen! She is your sister! The last biological member of the Royal Family!"

Veranke gritted her teeth and glared at Torgo.

"Am I not destiny's Queen, Torgo?"

"You . . . . you are."

"Then you'll do what I say. And what I'm saying . . . . IS TO KILL THEM ALL!"

Kl'rt and Torgo both assumed battle ready positions. The Fantastic Four all readied themselves, and Rhomann activated his wrist gauntlets. Anelle stepped behind Ben. The Infinity Gem around Veranke's neck glowed brighter.

But before any battle could begin, Reed noticed something peculiar. He blinked as he looked past Veranke, seeing a Skrull transport ship flying just outside the polymer window. It turned to face him, and Reed nearly gasped upon seeing a familiar face peeking out from behind the cockpit.

"Herbie?"

Herbie gave a wave as the laser cannons on either side of the transport ship charged up.

"Susan!" yelled Reed. "Defensive barrier, now!"

Susan threw up a barrier dome that surrounded the group of heroes. Veranke then turned around, seeing the transport ship just as it fired its lasers.

"AAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

The lasers struck the polymer window, creating a large explosion. Veranke, Kl'rt and Torgo were all sent flying into the air as the room depressurized. None of the heroes were exposed to the vacuum of space due to Susan's defensive barrier.

"Come along now, everyone," said Herbie, speaking through the Four's earpieces. "I found us a new ship!"

Susan lifted the dome upwards, creating a sphere that encased herself, Rhomann, Anelle and the rest of the team. She then threw herself forward, taking everyone with her as they left the _Exile's Intent_ and headed towards Herbie's transport.

Torgo quickly grabbed Veranke and held her around her waist. Using his shoulder jets, he boosted towards Kl'rt, who formed a sphere force field of his own to protect himself and his allies. Struggling to hold his barrier together, Kl'rt manuevered himself towards the door of the room. Once he was through, he let the barrier go and Torgo pressed the button to seal the door behind them.

Veranke gnashed her teeth and shouted as she looked out another window, but the heroes were already inside of the transport ship. She could only shake her fists in frustration as the ship flew into the stars and out of her grasp.

* * *

"Yeah, so, can we like, not do that again?"

Johnny was laying on the floor of the cargo section of the transport ship, taking in several deep breaths. Ben was sitting against a shuttle that was parked nearby, and the rest of them were all in a huddle at the centre of the room. Reed and Susan were pressing their bodies against each other, and Anelle was leaning against Rhomann.

Johnny coughed a couple times before he continued speaking.

"Probably not news for the big brain over there, but fire and space, don't like, mix, you know? Not exactly my favourite place to be."

"Heh, heh. Ran out of steam, big shot?"

Susan started to fall back, and Reed held her up in his lap. She leaned her head against the inside of his arm, her eyes dazed and her breathing laboured. Reed looked her over with worry clearly showing on his face.

"Sue?"

"Yeah?"

"How are you doing?"

Susan responded by sighing and blinking several times, as if she were struggling to maintain consciousness. She then looked down at herself as her limbs shook. Reed pulled her in closer, rubbing her hands with his as he tried to calm her down.

"It's alright," he said. "It's alright."

"I . . . . I almost got us all killed. All of us. If I was knocked out by that Skrull's blast, I . . . . none of us would have made it. I put us all . . . ."

"Hey, hey. That didn't happen, and besides, we would have found another way."

Susan sighed again.

"But it was my mistake," she said. "I was so full of . . . . anger. Hate. Rage. I just charged in, without thinking. The pain from that machine hurt so much, and all I wanted was to hurt someone . . . ."

Reed rested his cheek against Susan's head as he continued to rub her hands.

"I'm scared of what I wanted to do."

"Don't worry about that anymore," said Reed. "We made it."

Reed helped Susan to her feet. Anelle and Rhomann also stood up.

"Nice work with your robot, Richards," said Rhomann. "Didn't know if we were gonna make it out of that one alive."

"And thank you," said Anelle. "I had long since given up hope of some sort of rescue."

"Our pleasure," said Johnny. "Well, mine, anyway."

"I knew there were people amongst Veranke's subjects who were sympathetic to me, but none of them dared cross her. I may be an exile amongst my own people, but for the first time in years, I'm free. I want to return the favour."

"How so?" asked Rhomann.

"By now I assume you all understand that Veranke cannot be bargained with. She must be defeated. I am not a warrior, so I cannot help you in the coming battle."

Anelle turned to face Rhomann.

"But, she has no heir. No successor. If the Nova Corps grants me asylum, if you kill her, and restore me to the throne, then I vow to end my people's part in the war. The Nova Corps will face no further hostilities from the Skrull people. I know this is nothing but a promise based on conditions that may never be satisfied, but that is all I can offer."

"Honestly, Princess," said Rhomann, "that's one of the best offers I've heard in a long time. It's not my decision, since I'm not a member of Nova Command . . . . but I'll do whatever I can to help you. When we get back to Xandar, I'll personally petition to the Senate on your behalf."

"Thank you, Denarian."

After everyone had recovered from their ordeal, Herbie floated into the room.

"Herb," said Ben. "So how'd you end up flyin' a tin brick like this?"

"While we were coming to rescue you, Benjamin, the Skrulls apparently detected the _Venture_ , which I had latched onto the side of the hull of the _Exile's Intent_. That was what set off the alarm. After we were discovered, I took the Repair-Bots and silently made my way to the closest hangar. While everyone was distracted, we hijacked this transport ship as an alternate means of escape. It was quite the entertaining challenge!"

"Wait," said Johnny. "Who's flying right now?"

"The Repair-Bots, of course!"

Unbeknownst to everyone, the Repair-Bots were currently fighting over whose turn it was to fly the ship.

"I'm so glad that you're all okay! I was quite worried that perhaps some or all of you were going to sustain some level of bodily harm. Now that we are removed from immediate danger, I suggest we look over my findings from Veranke's database! So much intriguing information, and . . . ."

Herbie was interrupted by the sound of Rhomann's left wrist gauntlet beeping. Rhomann tapped a button on his wrist, which opened up a holographic data screen.

"No," he said. "No, no, no . . . ."

"What is it?" asked Reed.

"Priority distress alert from Nova Command," answered Rhomann. "It's Xandar. Xandar's under attack. It's a special code, deployed only under a situation described as a supreme emergency. The only time it's ever to be used under protocol is if Xandar itself is under siege. If Xandar falls, our leadership falls. All of Nova space will be in chaos."

"We have to go," said Susan. "Help them."

"I have a suggestion!" said Herbie, shaking himself side to side. "I've been analyzing the data I obtained from the _Exile's Intent_. It appears that the Pariahs, Veranke's main military weapons, are all powered by the Infinity Gem that she wears around her neck. It's called the Keystone. There is an apparatus inside of the _Exile's Intent_ that acts as a signal booster for the Gem's power, ensuring that all of the Pariah's remain functional so long as the Gem remains on board. Allegedly, according to ancient mythology texts, the Keystone is a cosmic artifact of incredible power."

"Damn," said Ben. "Herb reads fast."

"That's the benefit of artificial intelligence, Benjamin!"

"So what's the suggestion?" asked Reed.

"Well, I've managed to organize much of the data, and came across a three-dimensional hologram image of the inside of an alien temple on a planet called Morag. This is apparently where Veranke first found the Keystone. I cross-referenced the hologram against known star constellations, and found that the temple is full of carvings that form a sort of galactic map, pointing towards a specific place. I believe that this is the point of origin for the Keystone, and perhaps, we can learn information there that we can use against Veranke!"

Johnny rubbed the back of his head.

"Can't we just, I dunno, punch her out?"

"No," said Reed. "Herbie's right. We need to learn more about the source of Veranke's power. There's no way we can stop the Pariahs conventionally."

Rhomann shook his head.

"But Xandar's under attack right now! My homeworld! Billions of lives are at risk! My wife and daughter are there! I can't go gallivanting around the galaxy on some sort of cosmic fetch quest! This could be the turning point for the whole war."

"He's right, Stretch," said Ben. "Sounds like this fight could for all the marbles. We gotta help."

"And how?" asked Reed. "The last time we tried to take on Veranke's forces, we lost, and that was just one Pariah. If she's attacking Xandar, who knows how large her force will be? We need to learn more about . . . ."

"And what?!"

Reed turned to look at Susan, shocked that she had yelled at him this way.

"This isn't the time for scientific discovery, Reed! This is people's lives! This is war! This is Veranke thinking she can take on the whole galaxy, willing to do whatever it takes to win. We can't beat her with research, or test tubes, or microscopes! Sometimes we have to just go in and do what we have to do!"

"Do you honestly believe that?" asked Reed.

"Yes," said Susan. "I do."

Reed went silent for a while. He then shook his head.

"Then go. All of you. Go to Xandar. Do what you think you have to do. I'll be doing the same. I'll take that shuttle. Try and find out what I can. You want to fight fire with fire? Go ahead. Me? I'll be figuring out how to do it the smart way."

With steadfast resolve, Reed marched away from his friends and towards the shuttle. Everyone looked at him, but no one could find it within themselves to stop him. Ben gestured as if to impede his progress, but in his heart, he knew Reed was just doing what he thought was best. Herbie floated after Reed, and after a moment, the four Repair-Bots funnelled into the room and flew after them.

Within a few minutes, the separation had been made. Reed, Herbie and the Repair-Bots were inside the shuttle, and were flying towards the interstellar coordinates that Herbie had discovered. Rhomann was now flying the Skrull transport, and punched in the navigational data for Xandar, taking Anelle, Susan, Johnny and Ben with him.

The two ships flew in different directions, both of them hoping that what they were doing would end up saving a galaxy.


	10. The Battle of Xandar

Earth-717: Fantastic Four Vol 2

Chapter 10: The Battle of Xandar

Susan, Johnny and Ben all watched in awe as they approached Xandar. Rhomann was still flying the Skrull transport ship, and Anelle was in the passenger seat. While both the Xandarian and the Skrull Princess had seen Xandar before, it was a new sight for the humans, and it was one of most majestic views in the galaxy.

What made it even more astounding was that the planet was almost completely encased within a xanthous energy field. The field appeared to be a sphere, but was actually composed of an interlocking pattern of enormous triangles, with the vertices being formed by a grid of defense nodes. The only break in the field was a gigantic gold and blue space station that was in orbit around the planet.

However, everyone quickly realized something was wrong when they saw a large dreadnought ship parked next to the space station. It was five hundred metres in length, larger than even the heavy cruisers of the Nova Corps. It was a black and dark blue ship, and gave off an aura of malice just from the sight of it.

The dreadnought ship was at the centre of a space battle, with dozens of heavy Nova cruisers and Skrull support ships engaged in active combat around it. Fighter squadrons from both factions could be seen swarming in and around the larger ships, firing lasers and missiles at each other to try and whittle down the enemy forces.

"That thing don't look like it's the girl scouts," said Ben.

"Not any Skrull ship I've ever seen," said Rhomann.

"I know that ship," said Anelle.

Rhomann looked over at Anelle.

"You do?"

"That's the _Dark Revenant_ ," answered Anelle. "A dreadnought used as a base of operations by a ruthless gang of space pirates, led by Nebula."

"Nebula?" asked Rhomann. "The Nebula?"

"Yes."

"I suppose this Nebula person is bad news?" asked Susan.

"She's the most notorious outlaw in the galaxy," answered Anelle. "Daughter of an insane warlord, she's a mass murderer, a pirate and a terrorist. I can't believe it, but . . . . Veranke must have hired her to help her conquer Xandar."

Rhomann frowned upon seeing that the golden defensive barrier around Xandar had a hole in the area that was connected to the space station, near where the dreadnought was parked.

"No. No!"

"What?" asked Susan. "What is it?"

Rhomann pointed at the hole.

"You see there? Where the defensive matrix is broken? The Skrulls might have gotten ships through. Or Pariahs. This is bad."

"How bad?" asked Johnny. "Like, are we talking my hair on Sunday morning bad, or Ben's complexion bad?"

"Matchstick!"

"The defensive matrix is impenetrable. Nothing can get through it. It's powered by a shield generator on the planet's surface. The only possible weak point is that space station, the Senatorium, where the Galactic Senate meets. But it has some of the strongest armour plating in the galaxy. The only way a hole could be created is if one of the supplementary generators inside the Senatorium itself were to be compromised."

"And that happened," said Susan.

"Must have. Normally I'd say the defenders on the ground could take care of it, but . . . . if they got a Pariah through, and it gets to the shield generator? Then this is all over."

"Then we don't have any time to lose," said Susan.

Rhomann flew straight towards the battle, taking care to avoid becoming trapped by the crossfire between the various vessels. He headed straight for the hole in the defensive matrix. Once he was inside the barrier, everyone on the ship could see the massive beam of golden energy that connected the planet's surface to the defensive matrix. At the end of this beam was the shield generator, at the heart of Xandar's capital.

Rhomann tapped a few more buttons on his wrist gauntlet as he continued to fly the ship towards the surface. After a moment, audio started filtering in from his gauntlet.

"Rhomann?!"

"Camaria, it's me! Are you okay? What's going on down there?"

"Rhomann? I thought you were . . . . we heard about Rigellia. We thought you were dead!"

"Luckily not. I just got here. Is Duranna . . . .?"

Susan frowned upon hearing a baby crying in the background. Rhomann sighed with relief once he heard his daughter wailing.

"The whole city's evacuating," said Camaria. "Something about a Skrull invasion. Rhomann, I don't know . . . ."

"Just do what they tell you. Get out of the city. Go to your sister's house if you can, okay?"

"Okay, I just, I just . . . ."

"Hey. Everything's gonna be fine. I'm here now, and I'm gonna do my job, right?"

There was a distinct pause before Camaria responded.

"Right."

"Okay," said Rhomann. "I love you."

The call ended, and Rhomann took several heavy breaths. Susan placed her hand on his shoulder, and he nodded at her in response. As the transport drew closer, the people inside finally got a good look at the battle on the ground.

It was worse than they feared.

The capital was under siege, not from one, but from two Pariahs. Both of the gargantuan death machines were lumbering through the outskirts of the city, clearly heading straight for the shield generator at the centre of a group of defense towers. There were also thousands upon thousands of ground troops on both sides trading fire, and a multitude of Nova starfighters that were desperately trying to maintain control of the skies.

Anelle cringed as she watched a Pariah laser slice down an entire building its path. Ben then scratched the side of his head as everyone seemed transfixed on the battle below.

"Hey, far be it from me to like, interrupt, but ain't there the off chance we might get shot at in a ship like this? I mean, it did belong to the bad guys."

"Yeah," said Johnny. "Good point. That'd really suck, wouldn't it?"

"Not exactly how I was picturing I was going to die," said Anelle.

"Any suggestions?" asked Rhomann.

"Just one," said Susan. "You got good aim with this thing?"

Rhomann shrugged.

"Doesn't really have any weapons that could do real damage."

"Not what I meant."

* * *

"Take the pressure off those barriers!"

Standing in the command room of the defensive tower complex surrounding the shield generator, Centurion Malik Tarcel was not having a good day. A Shi'ar member of the Nova Corps, he was the man in charge of organizing the ground defense of Xandar. Originally, he had been upset when the war had broken out and he was assigned to Xandar, having wanted to serve on the front lines with the fleet against Veranke's forces.

Now he realized the folly of his earlier wish, because now Xandar was the front line, and despite his best efforts, he was starting to lose.

The defense cannons closest to his position aimed down at the ground forces, firing several blasts at the front of the Skrull ranks. The Nova troops had deployed hundreds of small barriers to use as cover to halt the Skrull advance, but the sheer number of troops and the Mekkan support they had was starting to become too much.

If the Skrull ground forces overwhelmed the Nova defenders, the command position could be overrun. But for every cannon that focused on helping the ground forces, that was a cannon that wasn't focused on taking down the incoming Pariahs.

It was a deadly game of odds, and a wrong move on Tarcel's part could mean the end of the Nova Corps.

"Centurion, sir! Look!"

Tarcel looked to where one of his Krylorian subordinates was pointing. Tarcel watched with amazement as a Skrull transport ship fell out of the sky, as if it was not even being flown. The transport plummeted directly towards one of the Pariahs, crashing into the top of it. The explosion did not crack the outer shell of the machine, but it did cause the main section to lower, and for the Pariah to take a couple steps back.

* * *

Morrat was knocked out of his chair by the force of the Skrull transport's impact, but he quickly stood back up.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"It appears to have been the impact of a ship," said the Mekkan officer.

"I figured that part out for myself, you deficient dolt! What ship was it?!"

"Unknown, General. It does not appear that the Nova fighters are performing suicide runs. The ship's trajectory seems to have been . . . ."

"Bah!"

Morrat smacked the Mekkan officer in the head with the back of his metallic hand.

"Never mind," said Morrat. "Just get us back on course!"

The Mekkan officer lowered his head slightly.

"At once, General."

Morrat sat back in his command chair. He started to furiously click his metallic fingers against the end of the arm rest. He growled under his breath as he watched the Nova defenders continue to put up their fight through his view screen, all of them huddled around the shield generator. The Mekkan officer then perked up his head again upon seeing a notification on his terminal.

"General, I have an incoming call from the Queen."

"Put it through."

The view screen morphed into a video call, with Veranke on the other end.

"My Queen," said Morrat.

"General. I'm on my way to Earth right now. I trust your assault is going as planned?"

"Mostly. I must admit, I'm surprised that you trusted Nebula, but your pirate friend came through. We're advancing on the capital now. The Nova Corps are putting up quite the fight. Understandable, given our target, but . . . . they'll be crushed soon enough."

"See to it, General."

* * *

"So glad I didn't have to ride with the peanut gallery, ha ha!"

Johnny performed a couple of aerial somersaults in his flame form. Susan had formed a force field sphere around herself, Ben, Rhomann and Anelle to carry the four of them out of the Skrull transport after Rhomann had set it on a collision course for one of the Pariahs.

Ben scoffed and pointed at Johnny.

"Kid, you ARE the peanut gallery!"

Susan groaned.

"Knock it off! This isn't the time!"

Susan glided over the group of defense towers, per Rhomann's instructions. Johnny followed closely behind. Landing on one of the empty balconies, Susan let go of the sphere, depositing herself and her passengers. Johnny landed and reverted to his regular form. Within seconds, they were set upon by a squad of Nova troopers, but Rhomann talked them down and requested that they be brought before the commanding officer of the defense.

After a couple minutes, the heroes were all standing in the command room along with Tarcel and over twenty other Nova officers, and Rhomann explained who they were and where they had come from. Tarcel shook his head at the end of Rhomann's story.

"I had no idea I'd be harbouring unknown aliens and a Skrull princess today, but I guess this isn't really the time to be choosy. You three say you can fight?"

"Ready and willing," said Susan.

"Hell yeah," said Johnny.

"Always up for a good brawl," said Ben.

"I guess that's good enough," replied Tarcel, before looking at Anelle. "And you . . . . you really think you can stop all this?"

"Veranke keeps her people placated through fear and talk of destiny," said Anelle. "If she dies, then all this comes to an end. I take back the throne, and this war will be over."

Tarcel sighed and looked out the window for a couple moments before nodding.

"Alright," he said, before turning back to face the front window. "I guess stranger things have been going on lately. Hell, this whole mess happened because the Senate and the Kree were discussing a peace treaty, so why not add a Skrull princess to our list of allies?"

"Wait, what?!" exclaimed Rhomann. "The Senate and . . . . and the Kree?"

"Heh, yeah," said Tarcel. "It's been a bit of a crazy day. Look, I can't exactly get into it right now, but everything's coming apart, everything we thought we knew. It's everyone versus Veranke, far as I've been told. But none of it will matter if those Pariahs get to the shield generator. So you wanna help? Then help me take those things out."

"Do you have any spare fighters?" asked Rhomann.

"A couple," replied Tarcel. "Get down to the hangar on D-Deck."

Rhomann turned and sprinted out of the room. Tarcel then looked at Susan.

"What about you guys?"

Susan smirked.

"Well, I can fly. So can my brother. And Ben?"

Ben punched his fists together.

"Ben will just do what he does best," said Susan.

* * *

"IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!"

Ben leaped over one of the deployed Nova barriers and broke into the Skrull infantry ranks, wildly attacking all of the enemies in the vicinity. While at first the Nova troopers were perplexed by their newfound ally, they quickly realized that he was helping them gain ground, emboldening the troops to start pushing the Skrulls and Mekkans back.

Fighting alongside the Nova forces, Ben repeatedly slammed his fists down on the enemy soldiers. The Nova troops used his body as cover, due to all of the incoming fire bouncing off of him. A couple of larger Mekkan units launched rockets at him, but one of the Nova troops reacted by tossing up a deployable barrier, absorbing the blasts.

Pulling out energy daggers, a handful of Skrull soldiers all pounced towards Ben at once, trying to slash their way through his skin.

"Damn jokers don't play fair! One at a time, ladies!"

Wrestling with five soldiers at once, Ben managed to beat them all away before grabbing one of them and flinging him back at his friends, knocking down over a dozen troops with one attack. Charging up a haymaker, Ben then rushed forward and threw it right into a Mekkan's face, breaking the trooper apart into a thousand pieces from the force of the blow.

As the ground battle continued to rage, a full squadron of Nova fighters flew overhead, flanked by Susan on a force field disc and Johnny in his flame form. Rhomann was now inside a fighter, serving as a member of the squadron. The fighters opened fire on the closest Pariah, aiming for the central cannon. The Pariah fired its laser in return, but most of the squadron managed to evade the attack. Two of the fighters were blasted out of the sky.

Susan flew over to the limbs of the Pariah, forming force field discs that she then used to try and slice at the Pariah's joints. While she could partially damage the mechanics, the Pariah's plating was far too strong for her to cut through with this method. The Pariah turned and tried to shoot her down with its laser, but she turned herself invisible, causing the Pariah to shift its focus back to the other Nova forces attacking it.

Dozens of additional Nova fighters joined the battle, launching missiles and firing lasers at the Pariahs as they marched. While they were bombarded by hundreds of shots, nothing appeared to do more than slow them down. Even attack runs from behind seemed to do little but scratch their apparently impenetrable armour plating.

The only thing that seemed capable of causing any real damage to the Pariahs were the defense cannons atop the towers, but their slow volleys and low numbers meant that even their capabilities were limited. Johnny tried to sear the Pariah's legs with heat blasts, but even his most powerful attacks were incapable of burning their way through the armour.

One of the Pariahs looked down and fired a single sustained laser that swiped vertically along the ground, vaporizing almost fifty Nova troopers in one go. Seeing this senseless slaughter, Rhomann closed his eyes and shook his head.

"We need a new tactic! Nothing we're doing is getting through that armour!"

"Looks like the only weak point is the central cannon," said Susan, her earpiece having been connected to the Nova communication frequency. "But we attack there . . . ."

"And we're just asking for it, I know," said Rhomann. "Practically suicide, but if we don't do something soon, then we're all screwed."

Susan thought for a moment before speaking up again.

"Tarcel, can you hear me?"

"I'm here," said Tarcel.

"I think I've got an idea for how to take down one of those monsters. Tell your cannons to aim at the Pariah on the right side, but don't fire! Just get all of them in position and wait for my signal."

"What? You're crazy! I need those cannons firing at all times! I can't just divert them on your say so. I don't even know you!"

"I vouch for her, Centurion," said Rhomann. "And do you have a better strategy? Because right now, we're getting torn apart out here!"

"I divert those cannons, and we might lose everything!"

Susan furrowed her brow.

"You don't divert those cannons, and you will lose everything!"

Both Susan and Rhomann heard Tarcel sigh over the com link.

"Okay. I pray you're right. All cannons! Cease fire and aim at the right side Pariah, but hold fire until my command!"

Susan soared around the battlefield on her force field disc, heading for the Pariah. All of the defense cannons turned and took aim at their target, holding fire as instructed. Flying downwards, Susan used her arm to beckon many of the Nova fighters to follow after her. At the front of a long line of fighters, Susan flew straight for the Pariah's front end.

Tarcel blinked and shook his head upon seeing what she was doing.

"She's headed right for it! It'll have a clear line of sight!"

Still, Susan maintained her course. Looking down, the Pariah saw that the line of incoming attackers were perfectly positioned, so that they would all be destroyed by a single vertical laser sweep. The opportunity too good to pass up, the Pariah charged its laser. Upon seeing this, Susan made a hand signal for the fighters to head upwards.

The Pariah fired, and Susan and all of the fighters rocketed into the sky. As the Pariah followed after them with its laser, its cannon became completely exposed.

"NOW!" shouted Susan.

All of the defense cannons fired at the same time. The Pariah's laser turned off and it started to move back down, but it was too late. Several heavy laser cannon blasts all struck the Pariah's main firing chamber at the same time, and the compounding attacks caused the front end of the war machine to explode.

Susan threw up her hands in triumph as the Pariah struggled to stay up. Johnny pumped his fists, and Ben clapped.

"YEAH! GO SIS!"

"Hell of a ploy, Suzie!"

Within moments, the Pariah collapsed, its main section breaking apart and its legs snapping at the joints. While the Nova Corps were all happy that they had managed to destroy one of Veranke's monstrous weapons, they didn't realize what they had just done. With the cannons all focused on his ally, Morrat chuckled to himself inside of his own Pariah.

Marching forward, Morrat aimed his laser at the defense cannon on the left side, before firing it in a horizontal sweep. In one attack, he managed to slice off the cannons atop six of the seven defense towers. Hundreds of Nova troops screamed as they were crushed under the collapsing weight of the cannons falling apart. Morrat wildly cackled as his Pariah took another step closer, mere moments away from destroying the shield generator.

Susan gasped in horror. She had gambled everything to destroy one Pariah, but now, there was nothing left to stop the second from reaching its goal.


	11. Speaking with God

Earth-717: Fantastic Four Vol 2

Chapter 11: Speaking with God

Reed squinted as his shuttle flew through the atmosphere of the planet Satriani, the alleged point of origin for the Keystone that Herbie had located. According to archival records that Herbie had accessed from the databanks of the _Exile's Intent_ ,Satriani was a planet that had never been colonized. Once Reed could see the planet's surface, he immediately understood why.

The entire planet was composed of one gigantic ocean, with no land masses to speak of. The grey clouds formed a nearly solid ceiling for the entire sky, and the torrential downpour made it impossible to see the horizon. Reed's heart sunk in his chest upon realizing that he may have departed from his team for no reason.

As Reed looked out at the scene before him, the Repair-Bots floated up to the dashboard of the shuttle, taking a gander at the view.

"Herbie, are you sure this is the place?"

"Absolutely, Doctor Richards! This is Satriani, and I quintuple checked the data that I took from the _Exile's Intent_. There is no doubt that is the place of origin for the Keystone, and if we can learn anything about how it works, it must be here!"

Reed sighed and put a hand on his chin.

"A single climate planet. Fascinating. The geophysics and atmospheric conditions could have been radically changed since the Keystone was first created. Perhaps some alien civilization, billions of years old, with all records of their existence now submerged? Or some form of sapient aquatic life that we've never even considered?"

"Unknown, Doctor Richards. According to my records, aside from being officially named and a couple of scans for any sort of valuable minerals, no galactic civilization on record has ever paid much attention to Satriani."

"I can see why," said Reed.

Reed flew the shuttle for a few minutes, despite already knowing that he wasn't going to find anything different. Racking his brain for any ideas of where to start, Reed was then startled when Herbie suddenly perked up and performed a pirouette.

"I've detected a unique energy fluctuation beneath us, Doctor Richards! It's faint, but I think there may be something worth investigating down there. Luckily for us, it appears that this shuttle is capable of operating underwater."

"Do you have a location?"

"Yes, yes, indeed!"

"Okay then," said Reed. "Let's go diving."

Pushing the control column downward, Reed flew the shuttle directly into the water. Bot One quivered as the shuttle pushed through the water's surface. Bot Two made a joke about Bot One, and was immediately chided by Bot Four. Within seconds, the entire shuttle was submerged, and a set of headlights automatically activated.

Reed then stood aside and allowed Herbie to take control of the shuttle. For some time, Reed just watched in silence as the shuttle sank further and further into the depths. Schools of fish of various colours and shapes swam past his view. Normally he would have been ecstatic, but he was not concerned with alien biology at the moment.

Right now, all he wanted was answers.

After all of the natural light was gone, and the headlights were the only things keeping the oppressive darkness at bay, Reed found his thoughts drifting. He wondered if he was really doing the right thing by splitting from the rest of his team. He wondered if he would truly find something worthwhile at the end of his journey. He wondered what could possibly be waiting for him at the bottom of the sea.

He had no idea that what he was going to find down there was going to change everything.

* * *

Hours had passed since Herbie had first started the descent into the depths of Satriani. Reed had not moved or spoken in all that time, having been consumed in his own thoughts. The Repair-Bots had started taking bets at what could possibly be down there, and how long it was going to take until they reached their destination. Bot One was worried that the water pressure was going to eventually rip them apart, but Bot Three assured everyone that it didn't seem to have any effect on the shuttle.

Finally, Herbie spoke up.

"I'm picking something up, Doctor Richards."

"What is it?"

"The energy signature. There's some kind of pulse. It's growing in frequency."

"How so?"

"I . . . ."

"Herbie?"

"Oh my."

Reed, Herbie and the Repair-Bots all stared forward as another source of light finally emerged through the darkness. Two circles of bright blue materialized in the ether, illuminating the form of something Reed could not quite comprehend. There were lines, shapes, and even a hint of green about the form before him, but he could not piece them together.

Then all turned white.

Reed screamed and held his hands before his face, feeling the burning whiteness pierce his vision. He was blind, deaf and in horrible pain for two seconds, before all went quiet.

Then all turned black.

 _"Who are you . . . . who disturbs the eternal slumber?"_

Reed's eyes burst open upon hearing the deep, haunting voice in the back of his skull. He was no longer in the shuttle. He was standing on nothing, floating in a black, shapeless void. The only light came from what looked like a blue star in the distance. His feet suddenly felt like they had some surface beneath them, but he could not see anything.

His mind reeled at trying to piece together what could possibly be happening.

"What? Herbie? Herbie?! Can you hear me?! Anybody!"

 _"There is only silence . . . . and darkness."_

"Who said that?"

 _"Silence . . . . and darkness. The eternal attributes of the void."_

Reed felt his mind breaking apart under the stress of trying to comprehend something, anything, of what was going on.

"WHO ARE YOU?!"

There was only silence and darkness. Hyperventilating, Reed started to claw at his face as tears welled in his eyes. Everything that was happening was breaking all laws of science and physics that he had ever known. Nothing seemed to be possible, and yet it was happening all the same.

He fell to his knees, and was soon consumed in the silence and darkness. He stopped drawing breath. He thought that he had faded from existence, and that all was lost.

 _"Wait . . . ."_

Reed gasped for air.

 _"There is something different about you . . . ."_

"W-Who . . . . w-who, who a-are you?"

 _"Eternal. Enduring. Endless."_

Reed was standing again, his feet on the impossible floor of the void. The blue star was back, but now another figure was present. It was a green, ghostly, translucent humanoid, roughly the same size as him. There was no face, but there were two blue circles where eyes would be located. Reed stared at the being before him, but found that there were no words to describe it.

"This . . . . this is happening. So it's possible."

The ghost said nothing.

"Who are you?"

The ghost said nothing.

"You could have killed me, but you didn't. You said something is different about me. I want to know what that is. So I ask again, for the last time . . . . who are you?"

Finally, the ghost spoke.

 _"What do you believe?"_

Reedpaused.

"Not in God. Because right now . . . . if I'm looking into the eyes of God, all I see is horror."

 _"You are correct. There is no God. Not as you understand."_

"But you have power. Something I've never seen before. Something . . . . far beyond us."

 _"Power is infinite. Like the silence, and the darkness. But it is not beyond. It is interweaved . . . . part of everything."_

"Do you have a name? What do I call you?"

The ghost was silent. Reed scowled.

"Listen to me," he said, his tone angry and defiant. "You wouldn't have started this conversation if you didn't want to know something. So stop avoiding the issue. You want to talk? Then talk."

 _"Yes . . . ."_

The ghost paused.

 _"There is something different about you, indeed. You look upon the form of eternity, and yet you do not cease to be. Others would be annihilated by the knowledge you face. You were nearly destroyed . . . . but instead, you endured. You may yet be one who could comprehend."_

"Comprehend what?"

 _"The magnitude of the presence before you."_

"But you said you weren't God. So what do you mean by presence?"

The ghost turned to look at the blue star for a moment before looking back at Reed.

 _"There is no name. No history. Only the silence, and the darkness."_

"Enough with the riddles! Tell me what you are!"

 _"See for yourself."_

The white flash happened again. The void turned to fade, and the blue star turned to dust. Reality stripped away, giving way to the water. Suddenly, Reed was drowning. He struggled for air, knowing it was hundreds of kilometres away. Then, in an instant, he could breathe.

Reed was now crumpled up inside of a green form. Looking up, he realized that he was being lifted into the air, out of the water and into the sky. But now, all of the clouds had dissipated, and the rain had ceased. The star filled sky was completely clear. Looking down, he saw that the green mass he was laying on was connected to something even larger.

Reed was sitting in the palm of a gargantuan green humanoid. It stood on the water's surface, its feet not submerged but perfectly level with the ocean. It was a solid mass, unlike the ghostly form it had taken before. Numerous lines of blue outlined ridges of its body, as if they were connecting pieces of armour. He looked up into the featureless blue eyes, and was utterly spellbound.

 _"Now do you see?"_

Reed had no words.

 _"You ask for a name. There are no names. Yet, given the order of things, it is appropriate that you have a name to use. The ones given, by those who came after."_

Reed took in a couple deep breaths.

 _"The presence before you was named Jemiah."_

"Jemiah?"

 _"Yes. One of the infinite six. The beings before which all came to be. Not gods. Celestials."_

"Celestials."

 _"That is the chosen term. The only name that is truth."_

"There's so many questions I want to ask . . . . so many answers I want to know."

 _"Ask, and answers you will receive."_

Jemiah started walking forward, stepping on the ocean of Satriani. He and Reed continued their conversation as Jemiah strolled under the stars.

"Where did you come from?"

 _"There is no origin for eternity. The Celestials ever were, in silence and darkness. Before everything that came after. Before origins. Before time. Before existence."_

"Did you create the universe?"

 _"Creation is not a tool. It is not wielded by a being. There is no one who paints what is on the canvas of the cosmos. There is no Creator. There is no God. There is the finite, and the eternal. Only the silence and the darkness."_

"Why do you keep saying silence and darkness? What do you mean by that?"

 _"To the eternal, everything is fleeting. There is dust, and energy. Constantly changing, constantly moving. There is no stability. The finite is chaos. The only order is in the eternal, and the only attributes of the void that are eternal are the silence and the darkness."_

"You said there were six of you. Six Celestials. Who are the other ones? Where are they?"

 _"The infinite six. Each one in a different corner of the universe. Arishem. Jemiah. Eson. Nezarr. Gammenon. Exitar. Each the master of a chosen aspect. Each one . . . . eternal."_

"Chosen aspect? What does that mean?"

 _"The Celestials are infinite. Eternal. But not equal. Not a hierarchy . . . . but a difference. The chosen aspects are the realms of being that are mastered. Reality. Soul. Space. Mind. Time. Power. The chosen aspects. The ones that are the beginning and the end of everything."_

"So . . . . each of you has a speciality. Some cosmic concept you represent. And yours is Soul?"

 _"Yes. Each chosen aspect is bound within its master. But while the Celestials are infinite, the aspects are interweaved. Part of everything. To be stable, they required vessels. Tokens within which they could be stored."_

"Wait a minute. Vessels? You mean . . . . I came here looking for the origin of an artifact. A cosmic artifact. The Keystone. Is that what you're talking about?"

 _"Yes. The Keystone is one of the six vessels. The Infinity Gems."_

"Infinity Gems . . . . that's what Anelle called them."

 _"The Infinity Gems are the vessels. Without them, existence is chaos. Only through them can the universe be kept stable. To preserve existence, the aspects were sealed inside the Gems. Each Celestial is the master of one of the six."_

"The Keystone. The Keystone belongs to you!"

 _"Yes. The Keystone is the Soul Gem."_

Reed shook his head as a smile grew on his face.

"This is . . . . this is incredible! This is exactly what we need! You just need to take the Keystone back from Veranke, and the war will be over!"

 _"No."_

"No? What do you mean, no? You said it was your Gem! Take it back!"

 _"There is no need. Proximity means nothing to the eternal. True ownership does not change by location."_

"No, no! You don't understand. Queen Veranke, she has the Keystone! She's using it right now to seize power over an entire galaxy!"

 _"Veranke is a queen of dust. A child playing at being a god. She wears the Keystone around her neck, with no knowledge of its true power. She will never unlock it, never understand it. She will always operate on the surface, never to truly see what she thinks is hers. Her soul is filled with anger and hate, fueled by the false belief in the power of prophecy and deities. No matter how much she is consumed by the self-determined importance of her own being, she is, as is all life, destined to fade. There is no need for interference."_

"What do you mean, no need?! She's going to kill billions of people! Enslave a whole galaxy!"

Jemiah was silent.

"Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

 _"You are placing judgement on the value of life. But no life is eternal. All life is fleeting. Dust in the cosmos. Even the ones who consider themselves of a higher state, the false eternals, the ones in the golden realm, even they were not present before existence began. It is the way of the universe. Life is finite. Chaos. Only the infinite is of concern to the Celestials."_

"No. I don't accept that. You don't care? That billions of people are going to die?!"

 _"They will all die. They will all fade. The time and manner means nothing. There is variance in detail, but their destiny is uniform. You speak of the lives of an entire galaxy. What is the life of one galaxy compared to all of existence? Billions of galaxies, each with billions upon billions of stars. And even then, the silence and the darkness outnumber them all. The lives you are concerned for are worth nothing on such a scale."_

"Then why bother with me? Why tell me these things? If you don't care about life, about any of us . . . . then why speak to me? Why have this conversation?"

 _"Because you are different. Because you can comprehend. Lesser minds would have been destroyed just from looking upon the form of an eternal. They would not be able to understand. But your mind . . . . there is something unique. Something that has not been seen. You have the soul of an explorer. The thirst for knowledge, for answers, pervades your very essence. With time, you might even come to understand the true nature of existence and the universe."_

"But I don't . . . . I came here looking for answers, yes, but also for help. I thought if I discovered the origin of the Keystone . . . . that maybe I could use that knowledge to stop Veranke. To save lives. Of my world . . . . my family. You could do it. You could save all of them with just a thought!"

 _"No."_

"Why won't you?!"

 _"It is not a matter of will."_

"How so?! You showed me your power! At first I thought maybe you could have been lying . . . . just some sort of advanced alien who could pretend to be a godlike entity, but I've seen it! I can feel it! Your power is real. So why don't you do anything with it?! Why won't you help me?!"

 _"Conscious choice is not the concern. It is a matter of power, and how it is interweaved."_

"What are you talking about?"

 _"The power of the chosen aspects is interweaved into all of existence. All life. All matter. All energy. Everything is interweaved. The power of the Celestials is based on what is interweaved. Power is infinite, but so are the repercussions of its use. Simple displays as what you have seen cause little more than ripples. But to truly indulge in the power of the Celestials is to cross a dangerous precipice. To potentially undo reality. All that is. All that ever was."_

"So if you use your powers too much . . . . you could destroy everything? Reality itself?"

 _"Yes. Everything you know, everything that has ever been known, could be undone. Everything would fade at once, and become discord. No order. Chaos. Power overwhelming, that would consume everything. Maybe even the silence and the darkness. Compared to the lives of the people in your galaxy, the potential ramifications of interference would cost too much. Only if all of existence was threatened would the Celestials interfere."_

"But who says that's not possible? What if Veranke decides to go after another galaxy? And another? With the Infinity Gem, she could do it!"

 _"That is not a foreseen outcome. She will fade. How much of the universe she consumes before then is negligible."_

"And what if you're wrong?!"

Jemiah was silent.

"Answer me!"

 _"The Celestials have seen everything. Even before existence. The knowledge of the eternals is absolute. She will fade. She is not a threat to anything but dust."_

"But can you see the future? If you truly know everything that will ever happen, then how did you not know I was coming? You said there was something different about me, but you didn't know who I was before I arrived. You didn't foresee me. Who says you couldn't be wrong about Veranke, or someone else? Who says that one day someone won't threaten all of existence?"

 _"It is a possibility. One of infinite possibilities."_

Reed sighed and looked up into the stars. Jemiah stopped walking.

"When I was younger . . . . I knew I wanted to be a scientist as soon as I saw the stars. I wanted to know what was out there. What could be. I wanted to do right by the world, and do something that mattered. But this . . . . meeting you. Learning the truth . . . . I don't know. Was it worth it? Do I really want to know everything?"

 _"You sought knowledge, and that is what you have received. Whether or not you continue to receive is up to you."_

"What do you mean?"

 _"You are different. You may understand. As such, you are now offered a choice."_

"What choice?"

 _"If you wish to know more, such knowledge will be granted. Speaking is not interference. Movement is not interference. As such, you will learn and explore freely, with the guidance of the Celestials. You will be a disciple. In time, all of the answers of the cosmos will be yours."_

"A disciple?"

 _"Yes. But such action cannot be taken without penalty. You will forsake your previous name, your previous existence. You will surrender yourself to the pursuit of knowledge, and the will of the Celestials. It was thought that perhaps one day, one of the finite would be able to comprehend. To understand. That person is you. But the choice is yours, and yours alone."_

"But I'd have to give up everything. My life, my family . . . . everything?"

 _"It is the only way. It is the price for absolute knowledge. That is the offer."_

Chills settled in over all of Reed's skin. His breath was short, and his fingers were quivering. He found his gaze once again drawn to the stars. He thought about Jemiah's offer, about how all of the knowledge of the universe was a mere answer away. But he also thought about how losing everything he had ever been and ever known was just as close.

All of his life.

All of his friends.

Everyone he had ever loved. Everyone he had ever known.

Ben.

Johnny.

Alicia.

Herbie.

Susan.

"Susan . . . ."

Her laugh.

Her smile.

Her mind.

Her touch.

Her heart.

Lost forever.

"No," said Reed. "I won't."

Jemiah stared at Reed in silence.

"I won't give up everything. I can't. They might not matter to you . . . . but the people in my life matter to me. I can't accept your offer."

 _"Your answer is understandable. It is accepted."_

"Thank you. Even if you understand just that . . . . well, that's enough."

 _"Still, a secondary offer is made. Interference is not possible, but perhaps there is still a way to aid your goal."_

"How?"

 _"You will be returned to your family. Transported. That is movement. Not interference. And if you do indeed stop Veranke, if you destroy her and retrieve the Keystone . . . . return it, and it will be kept safe. No longer will you need fear someone using its powers to threaten that which you care about."_

Reed nodded.

"Okay."

Reed closed his eyes as the white flash happened once more. This time, it did not hurt at all.


	12. The Adventure Continues

Earth-717: Fantastic Four Vol 2

Chapter 12: The Adventure Continues

The Pariah took another step forward, closing in on the shield generator. The remaining Nova starfighters tried to fire everything they had at it, but none of their attacks were capable of damaging the gigantic war machine. The one surviving defense cannon desperately launched multiple energy blasts at its target, but they only managed to slow the Pariah momentarily.

One laser blast from the Pariah's main cannon sliced down the last defense tower, and seemingly, Xandar's last hope.

Tarcel closed his eyes in defeat as the Pariah drew ever closer to his position. All of the Nova Corps officers in the command room stood up in silence and solidarity, acknowledging that their defeat had come. Anelle, who was standing at Tarcel's left side, hung her head in shame alongside the Nova officers, with tears streaming down both of her cheeks.

The battle on the ground had completely ceased. Soldiers on both sides knew that the fight was over, and simply stared up at the Pariah as it took another step. The mechanical monstrosity sounded its horn, the hellish noise piercing everyone present to their soul. Even Ben's spirit was crushed, and he stood by and watched, just as quiet and helpless as all the rest. Johnny flew down and stood next to his friend, with even he being silenced by the weight of the situation.

Susan was the only person who wasn't completely incapacitated by grief and despair. Certainly these emotions were swirling in her heart, but she realized that she still had one final card to play, one final act that may vindicate her. Flying on her force field disc, she positioned herself between the shield generator and the Pariah.

Ben and Johnny both dropped their jaws at the same time.

"Suzie?!"

"Sis! What are you doing?!"

Susan did not respond. Whether she was ignoring them, or if she did not want to pain them with a response when she knew what she must do, they could not ascertain. Forming a spherical barrier around herself, she put all of her mental energy into reinforcing it as much as possible, more than she had ever attempted before.

As all this was happening, Reed's shuttle warped into the sky via a portal that disappeared immediately afterwards. While Herbie was spinning around and clearly dazed by what had just occurred, Reed was not concerned with his robotic companion at that moment; rather, his eyes scanned the entire portrait of the situation before him, consuming all of its knowledge and instantly realizing the terrible event that was about to take place.

There was no time for Reed to call out to the woman he loved, and Susan was not cognisant of her lover's arrival on the scene. Just like all of the people who were present when the battle's tide had turned, Reed was completely helpless to affect the condition of what was happening before him, and was struck, as everyone else was, into the role of powerless observer.

Then, he heard something come in through his com link. Something he hoped he would never have to hear.

"Ben."

"Suzie?"

"Tell Reed . . . . that I'm sorry."

Reed felt his heart sink in his chest. He had the time to hear the words, but not the time to respond.

Everything had been reduced to the confrontation between Susan and Morrat. Although Susan could not see him, Morrat sneered upon realizing who he was facing. Clenching his metallic fist, he screamed for her to be shot out of the sky. The Pariah fired its laser, but Susan started to fly forward, weaving her path around the deadly beam.

Susan knew that what she was doing would most likely end in her death. She knew that she was potentially sacrificing everything for the lives of people she had never even met. She knew that she was never going to get the chance to reconcile with Reed, to say all the things she never got to say. She knew that this was her last act of defiance.

She knew all of that, and still did not hesitate.

The Pariah fired again, and again Susan weaved out of the way. She refused to lose her forward momentum, barrelling right towards the Pariah's laser cannon. She knew it was the one point in the armour where she was certain to penetrate. She knew it was the last chance that anyone on Xandar had for survival.

Before the Pariah could fire a third time, Susan's barrier smashed right into the front of the cannon. The force of the impact shredded the metal and shattered the glass. She had turned herself into a bullet, piercing the cannon's barrel and causing the weapon to implode on itself. As she crashed through the Pariah, she immediately lost consciousness due to the pressure.

Morrat screamed at the top of his mechanical lungs as the command centre of the Pariah exploded. Cracks quickly formed on the exterior shell of the monstrous walker, splitting apart the frame and causing ripples of red energy to lash out from between the fractured plates. The leg joints buckled and snapped apart, and the release of energy from the ruptured warp core generated a massive explosion that sent thousands of metallic shards flying in all directions.

Everyone was stunned into silence as they watched the spectacle. Everyone but Reed, who cried out in agony as he watched Susan become truly invisible.

* * *

At least once a day, Veranke made sure to spend some time staring out into space. It was something that brought peace and quiet to her mind, and enabled time for simple reflection. While she commonly thought about all the worlds that she was destined to conquer, she also sometimes cast her thoughts back to what her life was like before she became the queen of the Skrull Empire.

It was a life she swore that she would never return to.

She was standing inside of her throne room on the _Exile's Intent_ , staring out one of the side windows. Usually she preferred to do her stargazing in the observation area, but that part of the ship had been heavily damaged by her altercation with the Fantastic Four, and there had been no time for repairs because the ship had to be moved.

"Do you see me now, mother? Do you see what I've become? The most powerful person in the galaxy . . . . a queen. The likes of which has never been seen before. For the first time, by the will of providence, one woman will rule a galaxy."

Veranke chuckled.

"And I'll have done it without you. You who would have had me held back, who would have preferred I follow in your footsteps, to stay a worthless peasant in the dark alleys of Skrullos. You told me that the light was not for people like us. You told me to stay on my side."

Veranke looked down at the Keystone that was hanging around her neck. She touched it with two fingers on her left hand, and it momentarily glowed brighter.

"Well, I stepped into the light, mother. And now . . . . the light is mine. And with it, I will be forever remembered . . . . while you have long since been forgotten."

Veranke's musings were interrupted by the sound of the door to her throne room opening. Sighing, she turned to look at who had come to see her.

"My Queen."

Kl'rt and Bishop Grixx entered the room. Veranke walked back over to her throne and took her seat, with Torgo standing and waiting patiently at her right side. Kl'rt and Grixx both respectfully bowed before her.

"What is it?" asked Veranke.

"We have received troubling news," said Grixx. "It appears that the assault on Xandar . . . . has failed."

Veranke immediately sat forward. Her fingers clutched the ends of her arm rests ever tighter as her voice turned shrill and piercing.

"FAILED?! What do you mean, failed?!"

Grixx gulped and looked down, shrinking away from her gaze. Kl'rt stood up tall and addressed her directly.

"We have multiple confirmed reports that Morrat's attack on the shield generator was unsuccessful. Both Pariahs were destroyed. As far as we know . . . . he was killed in action."

The bones in Veranke's face started to wobble as the implications of the news slithered through her soul. Her left eye twitched multiple times before she responded.

"And what of Nebula?"

"We have lost contact with her," answered Kl'rt. "We don't know where she is."

Veranke started to hyperventilate. Torgo looked at her with concern, but did not move. After a few seconds, Veranke closed her eyes and consciously slowed her breathing, reasserting herself. Sitting back in her chair, she then spoke with a forcefully cordial tone.

"Recall the Pariahs. Bring them here."

Kl'rt and Grixx looked at each other for a moment in confusion before returning their gaze to Veranke.

"Which ones?" asked Grixx.

"All of them."

"All of . . . .?"

"Every last one," she said. "They are to form a defensive blockade around the planet, alongside the _Exile's Intent_."

Veranke turned her head to look out at the planet which she could see just outside her window.

"Earth was to be the impetus for my final conquest," she said. "Now, it will also serve as the stage for my ultimate victory."

Veranke looked forward again and sneered.

"The Nova Corps. The Kree. They want a fight? They just got one."

* * *

As the dust settled on the capital city of Xandar, the shield generator was still standing. The golden beam was still maintained, and the defensive matrix around the planet did not falter. The explosion from the destruction of Morrat's Pariah had killed many of the Skrull ground forces. The survivors had all immediately surrendered, knowing that there was nothing further for them to accomplish, and that there was no hope for reinforcements.

Tarcel, Anelle and Rhomann all accompanied Reed, Herbie, Johnny and Ben as they made their way into the wreckage of the Pariah. Herbie was leading the group, with everyone else following behind. Herbie had told them that he was still receiving a signal from Susan's tracking device, and so everyone was eagerly chasing after the small robot.

"Over here, Doctor Richards! Her tracker signal is coming from over here!"

Suddenly, Herbie stopped in his tracks. He blinked a couple times before slowly turning around.

"What is it?" asked Rhomann.

"I lost it," answered Herbie. "I lost the signal. I don't understand. I'm not receiving it anymore. As if it just . . . . vanished."

Reed closed his eyes and looked down. Johnny took a step back, a frown growing on his face. Ben put his hand on Reed's shoulder.

"Hey . . . ."

"I heard her," said Reed. "I heard her say . . . . say she was sorry."

"Reed . . . ."

"I never got to tell her . . . . that I was sorry too."

For a few moments, everyone was morose. Even Herbie and the Repair-Bots looked depressed. They had saved a planet, but had lost a family member.

Then, Reed saw something in the distance. From behind a mountain of wreckage, a shadow fluttered in and out of sight. Reed squinted to try and get a better look as it drew closer. Finally, emerging from on top of a pile of smashed metal, Susan trudged into view, holding her side in pain. Standing as tall as she could, she smiled upon seeing everyone there waiting for her.

No words were necessary. The look on everyone's face was enough to say what needed to be said. Most important of all, Susan saw that the spark in Reed's eyes was brighter than it had ever been. She slowly marched towards her family, her head held high. She was eagerly embraced, and the Fantastic Four were reunited.

Before anything further could happen, Anelle shrieked and pointed into the sky. Everyone looked up to see the flaming, half-destroyed form of the _Dark Revenant_ plummeting out of orbit. It slammed into the ground only a hundred metres away from the group. Susan instinctively threw up a force field to shield them all from the wave of dust that washed towards them.

After everything had settled, the group approached the downed dreadnought. They looked at it with curiosity, not knowing what happened to it. They received their answer when a panel on the side of the hull was shot off from the inside, and a group of five people emerged from the smoke.

"Next time, instead of the guy who just uses his hammer to solve every damn problem, I'll be the one to deal with the critical engine failure!"

"We survived, and our foes are vanquished, are they not?"

"By pure luck, you Cabaret reject!"

Reed, Susan, Johnny and Ben were all stunned upon seeing Tasha Stark in a blue and white armoured suit. She was followed by the Hulk, Carol Danvers in her Ms. Marvel costume, and the Mighty Thor. At the centre of the line was someone they were expecting even less.

"Captain America?" said Reed.

"Reed Richards," said Steve. "We've been looking for you. It seems we have a lot to discuss."

THE END

The Fantastic Four Will Return

* * *

Epilogue

High above the surface of Earth, the _Exile's Intent_ was sitting in orbit. While it had arrived with just a small escort, dozens of Pariahs had now entered the system. They had flown in from all corners of the galaxy, and more were on the way. As per Veranke's instructions, they formed a defensive blockade around the planet and the _Exile's Intent_.

As the army of Pariahs took their positions, a blue beam shot up from the planet's surface. It struck the _Exile's Intent_ , which channelled the energy of the beam to form a defensive matrix around itself. As the impenetrable energy barrier solidified, and the fleet of Pariahs continued to amass around her, Veranke folded her hands together.

She devilishly smiled as she waited for her enemies to come to her.


End file.
